The Delta Virus seems to be driving the numbers these days….
Vaccine pushes continue…
Masking efforts have re-summed….
School’s are due to re-open in next few weeks….
Reports of economy gains are tentative with the fall coming….
Employers are can’t get enough help….
Washington Post…
In the past week in the U.S. …
Among reported tests, the positivity rate was 9.5%.
The number of tests reported rose 3% from the previous week.
Since Dec. 14, more than 353,205,000 doses of a coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the U.S.
More than 167,105,000 people have completed vaccination, or about 50.33% of the population.
Read more in our vaccination tracker.
Wash Post Link
Note….
A look thru the media will find ALL sorts of percentages on the pandemic ….
I have consistently presented the WashPost numbers….
The NY Times listed numbers seem wildly out of sync ….
All these numbers are out of whack.
They only reflect what has been “reported.” Many people who contract the virus don’t bother getting tested or are assymptomatic.(one can make an argument that an assymptomatic cases isn’t actually a “case”) Many deaths ,not directly attributable to Covid ,have Covid as one of several possible causes.
As a rule of thumb I have read that taking the number of cases “reported “ and multiplying anywhere from 5 to 10 gives a more accurate picture of the true state of matters.Dr Scott Gottlieb , a former FDA Commissioner who I’ve found to be a good source of information, has said that there are up to a million cases a day(that’s counting assymptomatic cases) are occurring Dr Brett Giroir who was the Trump Administration spearhead claims that almost everyone unvaccinated is likely to contract the “delta” variable over the next several months.
Asymptomatic cases do matter, because each of those could infect another half-dozen people, not all of whom may be spared the symptoms (especially if they’re unvaccinated and neither you nor they is masked).
This is more of a reporting issue
One can argue though that an assymptomatic “case” is certainly not the same as a symptomatic one in that the person isn’t actually sick for “reporting “ purposes
It’s rather an irrelevancy anyway as few assymptomatic cases are even detected because the person would not know they are infected and would have no reason to get tested.
Accordingly the only ones we know about are those where the persons job requires daily testing so very few of these cases are being caught.
I agree that an unidentified assymptomatic person can certainly infect others .Unfortunately I see no solution to that other than mandatory testing which isn’t going to happen
Yes….
Some people actually have a natural immunity to the virus’s…..
Booster shots are coming first for the immunocompromised (which they are teasing out all those categories). Then Booster shots for elderly 70 and above probably starting in October/November and I would also think us first responders would fall in with the elderly group (just like the military you can’t have your first responder workforce out with Delta Variant).
Good to be a large investor in one of the big two vaccine makers of COVID.
No shit Bdog…..
Gotta make that long green…..
The former Tennessee vaccination chief Dr. Michelle Fiscus confirmed what many of us knew…
That “white make rural conservatives” wont get vaccinated because that would be “placating the Left.”
How can you reason with that kind of ignorance and hate?
The Supreme Court on Thursday left intact Indiana University’s requirement that students be vaccinated against COVID-19 before attending classes this fall….
More…
As expected….
In Texas and Florida school districts will require mask wearing despite their governor’s orders….
Four Biggest Texas Counties Defy Governor on Masks
Mask-wearing in public schools is now mandatory in all four of Texas’ most populous counties — in defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) executive order forbidding cities, counties and school districts from enacting their own mask mandates, the Texas Tribune reports.
DeSantis Admits He Can’t Cut Teacher Pay
“Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration signaled earlier this week that it would slash the pay of Florida school superintendents and school board members who defy the governor on school masks,” the Miami Herald reports.
“But now — as two Florida districts, including Broward County Public Schools, remain defiant — the governor’s office is acknowledging the state has no control over local employees’ pay.”
Nate Silver beats me to the punch…
He has access to more date streams but it DOES appear that virus cases have peaked….
Nate Silver
@NateSilver538
Positive test rate (orange line), which can sometimes be a leading indicator for the overall number of cases, has been pretty flat for about a week now in the US.
….
But?
School’s open now thru Sept.
Large sports crowded events begin…
Cooler weather cuts outside eating….
We’ll see….
cases in the US are at their highest level since around February
But leveling off i believe
Not dropping…..
If the numbers are reported right
Like Jack pointed out
A LOT of stuff floating around in the numbers and info for the virus
What I’ve seen is that the new peak is yet to come, which is expected in two or three weeks (presumably after back-to-school and Labor Day have had their effects).
No, the 7-day average number of cases was still increasing. They are not increasing at a higher rate than before, so it is possible they will flatten soon.
Silver’s view from his numbers look and a look at the Wash Post numbers seem to indicate a plateau…
Again?
There are several factors that could be at work….
Reporting….
Shots…
Masks…
The virus burn out….
We’ll be watching….
But we ALL agree come mid Sept and on ?
There could be another spike….
Three shots?
They are having trouble getting to 65% on the first one or two
The Biden administration is planning to announce that most Americans who have received the coronavirus vaccine will need booster shots to combat waning immunity and the highly transmissible delta variant that is sparking a surge in covid-19 cases, according to four people familiar with the decision.
The administration’s health and science experts are coalescing around the view that people will need the boosters eight months after being fully vaccinated, according to the people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a decision not yet public. The decision is likely to be announced as soon as this week….
More…
The Government is expected to ‘suggest’ people get a ‘third’ shot eight montjs after their 2nd shot …..
There are reports that the Pfizer shot could only be 50% effective for some people…..
Texas Gov Abbott has a positive virus test result…..
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a famed civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, and his wife, Jacqueline, have been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a statement Saturday.
Jesse Jackson, 79, is vaccinated against the virus and received his first dose in January during a publicized event as he urged others to receive the inoculation as soon as possible. He and his wife, 77, are being treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago….
More…