23 thoughts on “C-19 Chat Post – April 27 2021”

  1. All state universities will require all students and employees to receive full vaccinations this upcoming fall.

    Joshua, do you think on campus testing will continue into the next academic year? At some point these vaccines must be trusted for herd immunity imo to see once and for all.

    1. Screen testing will gradually diminish (instead of once a week; once a month) over time and begin to phase out in the spring of 2022. Of course, diagnostic testing, for those with symptoms, will remain in hospitals, PCP offices, and clinics. But, as Covid-19 recedes even that will begin to phase out and become much more infrequent by 2023.

      I think that for international travel at first proofs of vaccinations will be used in conjunction with PCR or rapid tests. But that may also phase out over time, say, by spring of 2022. This will depend crucially on the evidence on vaccine efficacy against variants.

      1. Thanks Joshua. Still quite aways to go with this virus. As for Biden’s announcement later today regarding masking (or not) outdoors, it will be very interesting if Baker goes along with it, whatever the updated policy will be.

    1. Egads! But maybe the answer to your question has something to do with the school’s proclaimed “medical freedom from mandated vaccines.”

      1. I suspect you are right but to claim the vaccine impacts a woman’s cycle is beyond belief. If they lie about that, how does a rational person trust them with anything they claim?

  2. I should put the Covid comments over here…

    The governor just announced that all high schools must be back in-person by May 17!

    Many restrictions are being relaxed or lifted short and long-term!
    Singing indoors will be allowed as on May 10!!!! 🙂

    Outdoor events can have up to 250 people by the end of May. Maybe the seniors can have prom after all! They were shut out of the junior prom last May.

    It looks as if the Pats will play to capacity at Gillette in the fall. Still doesn’t help them at quarterback! 🙂

    1. Thanks, Captain. I forgot to listen. I will do so later.

      I am thankful that the option for full remote is still in place.

      Sutton continues to be in the red. The instances of positives in schools of course was not given last week as it was vacation week. Before that, positives were increasing by nearly 50%.

  3. Globally, cases may have peaked last week but are still very high, with Brazil, Turkey, India, but also the U.S. and France leading the charge. By the way, U.S. cases nationwide are declining, albeit gradually (hospitalizations have also diminished somewhat; deaths are decreasing, though still at ~650 per day on the 7-day average).

    Global deaths are averaging more than 13,000 on weekdays. Biggest contributors to deaths are Brazil and India. The global daily death toll is not as high as the January peak, but is higher than any other previous peak.

    As I said yesterday I’m very concerned about Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh as countries that will follow the horrific path India is on. I also hope Africa doesn’t follow India’s path.

    The good news is that across Europe it appears countries are coming down from the peak, especially in Central and Southern Europe. A number of countries are doing very well, such as Portugal, the U.K., Denmark, and Ireland. The worst performers appear to be France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany. In these 4 nations ICU usage is still quite high; near peak levels for this wave.

    Vaccinations are picking up the pace in Europe. Still a long way to go.

    Vaccinations in South America, Asia, and Africa are lagging very badly. This includes countries like Japan with only around 1% fully vaccinated. Japan is having a difficult time recently with a case and hospitalization surge in a number of regions.

  4. I am getting my second Moderna vaccination tomorrow. If two years ago someone had told be that I would some day be pumped up like a kid on Christmas Eve about getting a shot, I would have thought they were crazy.

    Strange days indeed!

    1. I felt a combination of nerves and excitement. When I finally got an appointment for the first, I was as giddy as a kid at Christmas just like you said.

  5. I should have qualified the global death count, as what I provided – 13k – is the official daily toll. The real toll is much higher. Both Brazil and India are massively undercounting the dead. Here’s an article on India’s apocalypse. My guess is that India’s real death toll is at least 3 times the official toll, so at least 9,000 a day. https://www.statnews.com/2021/04/27/in-covid-grip-india-gasps-for-air-if-there-is-an-apocalypse-this-has-to-be-one/?

    1. What this means is that currently worldwide we’re losing about 20,000 to Covid-19 every day. The current case fatality rate is higher in Brazil and India than elsewhere because of the collapse of local healthcare systems.

      Covid-19 is never going to challenge the Spanish Flu in terms of fatalities, both absolute and relative numbers. But, it’s a very high death toll, and worldwide 2021 will see far more deaths than 2020.

        1. My mom told me the house her dad built for his family in Belmont had wings at each side that allowed her to roller skate indoors from one side of the house to the other. As I read more about the 1918 flu and knowing how terrified my grandfather was of losing a second child, this has to be why. My mom was four years old in 1918.

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