Fauci says we’ve entered the endemic phase. Interesting statement.
I think we’re getting closer, but not there yet. With ~450 deaths a day nationwide – rising slightly in the past week – that’s not endemic. Customarily, any infectious disease that produces more than 100 deaths a day nationwide is not considered endemic. As I said before, I think we’ll be there by some point in June.
I do wish we wouldn’t move the goal posts.
But, Fauci is part of the public health establishment in the U.S. So, it doesn’t surprise me. Public health officials in the U.S. are resigned to the fate that is uniquely American; namely, acceptance of relatively poor public health indicators as “okay” because they’ve gotten better.
I saw this with opioids about 5 years ago. Since then, the numbers have gotten really bad again; worse than ever. At the time, 5 years ago, they had improved somewhat and public health officials patted themselves on the back.
The cynic in me says that because we in the U.S. are so accustomed to death and dying, we’ll accept a high level of deaths, whether it’s from Covid-19, infant mortality, maternal mortality, gun violence, HIV, suicides, opioids, vehicle crashes, etc …
Our life expectancy numbers already deviate enormously from ALL of our peers. The differences are really large. I would not be surprised if our life expectancy numbers soon enter emerging market territory, so, for example, are comparable with countries with vastly lower GDP per capita; from Brazil to Russia to India to Costa Rica.
It’s so weird and dystopian, especially as a health economist. I work in the healthcare field in the U.S. Sadly, the only thing that pays in the U.S. in my field of consulting and analysis is marketing products and advising investors. Even the work done on clinical- and cost-effectiveness of products is often funded by payer/insurers whose bottom line is profits. Hence, they’re not interested in an independent, objective assessment of anything. They want something that improves their profits, just like the pharmaceutical industry does.
Am I against profits? No. But, profits shouldn’t be the end-all-be-all in healthcare, and yet that’s really where we are.
Sadly, we also know that the numbers are significantly underreported. I don’t understand Fauci. He was or seemed to be honest at the start.
Evidently, Fauci has gotten flak from his comments. He has since qualified to say we’re no longer in a “full-blown” pandemic phase. This is much more accurate.
But, his messaging continues to be problematic. This is an ongoing theme with him since February 2020:
Fauci is saying that the “global pandemic is ongoing.” And, he will not be attending the WH Correspondent’s Dinner out of concern for “individual risk.”
Reminds me of advice I received as a child. Pay attention to what I do and not what I say
Singles vaccine #2 in the books. $179. Good grief. Now I wait to see if I react. Pharmacist said this can have more reaction than Covid. I have friends who have been down and out for a day or two and friends who have not had much of a reaction.
Shingles….not singles. Hmmmm
I’ve had just about every vaccine available for the past two years, including shingles with little or no reaction. I definitely need to be very thankful for that. Good luck Vicki.
I wish you the best Vicki.
My reaction to the shingles #2 was just about the same as to the first. Starting about 10 hours after the shot, I felt a bit odd for the next 10 hours. The second one was easier because I scheduled it so that I would be sleeping during most of the reaction.
Thank you SClarke. I feel a bit fuzzy but that is it so far, I was just tired after the first.
Smart move on your timing.
Take care, Vicki. I hope the Shingles vaccine side effect is minimal.
Thank you. After a deep nap, I’m feeling more like me. ❤️
I have some hope that we will peak this week, as waste water signals suggest we may have turned the corner.
Thank you for that update. For all updated numbers. They are very much appreciated
I’ve followed Cuba’s biotechnology sector for a while. It’s a remarkably successful industry, given the resource constraints. I detest the Cuban government’s repression and its authoritarianism. Yet, I recognize that in healthcare the nation is able to do more with much less. The Cuban vaccine is apparently as effective, if not more, than the mRNA vaccines – also better at reducing transmission. It was developed on a tried-and-true conjugate platform (so an old-fashioned vaccine). Cases and deaths in Cuba are very low. https://twitter.com/timmokx/status/1507429624376020992
C-19
4-28
ready
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Fauci says we’ve entered the endemic phase. Interesting statement.
I think we’re getting closer, but not there yet. With ~450 deaths a day nationwide – rising slightly in the past week – that’s not endemic. Customarily, any infectious disease that produces more than 100 deaths a day nationwide is not considered endemic. As I said before, I think we’ll be there by some point in June.
I do wish we wouldn’t move the goal posts.
But, Fauci is part of the public health establishment in the U.S. So, it doesn’t surprise me. Public health officials in the U.S. are resigned to the fate that is uniquely American; namely, acceptance of relatively poor public health indicators as “okay” because they’ve gotten better.
I saw this with opioids about 5 years ago. Since then, the numbers have gotten really bad again; worse than ever. At the time, 5 years ago, they had improved somewhat and public health officials patted themselves on the back.
The cynic in me says that because we in the U.S. are so accustomed to death and dying, we’ll accept a high level of deaths, whether it’s from Covid-19, infant mortality, maternal mortality, gun violence, HIV, suicides, opioids, vehicle crashes, etc …
Our life expectancy numbers already deviate enormously from ALL of our peers. The differences are really large. I would not be surprised if our life expectancy numbers soon enter emerging market territory, so, for example, are comparable with countries with vastly lower GDP per capita; from Brazil to Russia to India to Costa Rica.
It’s so weird and dystopian, especially as a health economist. I work in the healthcare field in the U.S. Sadly, the only thing that pays in the U.S. in my field of consulting and analysis is marketing products and advising investors. Even the work done on clinical- and cost-effectiveness of products is often funded by payer/insurers whose bottom line is profits. Hence, they’re not interested in an independent, objective assessment of anything. They want something that improves their profits, just like the pharmaceutical industry does.
Am I against profits? No. But, profits shouldn’t be the end-all-be-all in healthcare, and yet that’s really where we are.
Sadly, we also know that the numbers are significantly underreported. I don’t understand Fauci. He was or seemed to be honest at the start.
Evidently, Fauci has gotten flak from his comments. He has since qualified to say we’re no longer in a “full-blown” pandemic phase. This is much more accurate.
But, his messaging continues to be problematic. This is an ongoing theme with him since February 2020:
Fauci is saying that the “global pandemic is ongoing.” And, he will not be attending the WH Correspondent’s Dinner out of concern for “individual risk.”
Reminds me of advice I received as a child. Pay attention to what I do and not what I say
Singles vaccine #2 in the books. $179. Good grief. Now I wait to see if I react. Pharmacist said this can have more reaction than Covid. I have friends who have been down and out for a day or two and friends who have not had much of a reaction.
Shingles….not singles. Hmmmm
I’ve had just about every vaccine available for the past two years, including shingles with little or no reaction. I definitely need to be very thankful for that. Good luck Vicki.
I wish you the best Vicki.
My reaction to the shingles #2 was just about the same as to the first. Starting about 10 hours after the shot, I felt a bit odd for the next 10 hours. The second one was easier because I scheduled it so that I would be sleeping during most of the reaction.
Thank you SClarke. I feel a bit fuzzy but that is it so far, I was just tired after the first.
Smart move on your timing.
Take care, Vicki. I hope the Shingles vaccine side effect is minimal.
Thank you. After a deep nap, I’m feeling more like me. ❤️
Steady increase in cases and hospitalizations continues in Massachusetts. https://www.wwlp.com/news/health/coronavirus-local-impact/massachusetts-covid-19-daily-report-8-new-deaths-2807-new-cases/?
I have some hope that we will peak this week, as waste water signals suggest we may have turned the corner.
Thank you for that update. For all updated numbers. They are very much appreciated
I’ve followed Cuba’s biotechnology sector for a while. It’s a remarkably successful industry, given the resource constraints. I detest the Cuban government’s repression and its authoritarianism. Yet, I recognize that in healthcare the nation is able to do more with much less. The Cuban vaccine is apparently as effective, if not more, than the mRNA vaccines – also better at reducing transmission. It was developed on a tried-and-true conjugate platform (so an old-fashioned vaccine). Cases and deaths in Cuba are very low.
https://twitter.com/timmokx/status/1507429624376020992
C-19
4-28
ready