19 thoughts on “C-19 Chat Post – July 9 2021”

    1. Hi Vicki. I was talking to my kids daycare teachers this morning and it’s like mid-winter there in terms of sickness. Eight confirmed cases of RSV in the toddler rooms just this week, my daughter included

      1. Oh boy. Very difficult. I’m hearing a lot here also. And a stomach bug. Hope your little one recovers quickly.

  1. I heard on the radio this morning that there are some NH parents suing their respective towns/schools for having their kids wear masks. They are suing on the grounds that NH schools are not allowed to impose unreasonable “restraints” on students during class time according to state law.

    I don’t believe that’s the exact wording but that is pretty much the gist of it.

      1. Thanks Vicki. I consider NH pretty much a “red” state anyway, although I believe Biden actually won that state in spite of Trump actively campaigning there.

        Also, NH took forever to declare the MLK holiday. Especially sad considering MLK himself mentioned that state in his “I Have A Dream” speech.

    1. Believe it varies. I see use of them at a local day camp – Hill House. I think I mentioned this, the Hill House has been terrific throughout the pandemic in offering after-school services and camp – even in the spring and summer of 2020 – and done so safely and effectively. It was wonderful to see children outside last July – wearing masks – and having fun, not being too isolated at home.

    2. Most are requiring masks indoors and not outdoors. Overnight camps not requiring masks in bunks. Many overnight camps also required a negative test 48 hours prior to arrival and then did their own testing upon arrival. Also, many are not having visiting days, allowing staff to leave campus on days off, etc.

  2. The UK’s test positivity rate is soaring in some areas. Suggests widespread infection. There must be lots of reinfections as well as partially and fully vaccinated folks getting breakthroughs. Can’t be explained otherwise in such a highly vaccinated country. Today’s case numbers are above 35k – highest since mid January. Cases are increasing steadily across all age groups. Less among the older folks – due to very high vaccination rates – but still some growth there, too.

    Indonesia and Russia have recorded their highest number of daily deaths in the pandemic.

    The Netherlands and Spain are now seeing exponential growth … again. Netherlands is reimposing restrictions, albeit minimal ones thus far.

  3. CDC data is so obsolete it makes us look like a third world country. CDC’s updates on the Delta variant are from 2 weeks ago! Not faulting the folks there, as they can only do so much with the resources they’re given. Just wish we’d spend more on CDC and other public health agencies.

    Unfortunately, U.S. cases are now in full-fledged growth mode. I think that by next week Friday we could see 30k nationwide (with lower testing, by the way, that we were doing in May), and also begin to see gradual to steady growth in the heavily vaccinated states, too. Certainly if Delta is impacting Britain as much as it is, and also Portugal (highly vaccinated) and Israel, it’s bound to impact highly vaccinated states here, too.

    1. Sounds like Eric Topol. Man, are they drinking the Pharma Koolaid, even more than Pharma. Keep in mind, Pfizer is concerned about its vaccine efficacy drop in the face of Delta! The prudent thing is to say at this point is that vaccines work very well to prevent severe illness, but we simply do NOT know enough about vaccine efficacy at preventing infection (appears to be dropping somewhat with each new study), and therefore we can’t quantify the risk of a vaccinated person, who contracts coronavirus, transmitting the virus to others.

      Not a difficult message for people to understand, but it is nuanced. It’s also why I’m still careful in indoor settings.

  4. Latest U.S. data, which I just delved into, is actually a bit alarming. I knew that hospitalizations have been increasing this week, but now deaths are also rising.

    What’s more worrisome is the now accelerated nationwide rise in cases. Though some states are still at very low levels, no region – Midwest, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, etc … – is showing decreases or even plateauing anymore. All are increasing. Some, like Massachusetts, slower than others, which is good. Still, with less testing it’s a noticeable increase. NY has me more concerned than MA. Florida is close to exponential growth territory, along with the other usual suspects from the South and Southwest. If we get an actual summer wave and not just a ripple … all bets are off.

    When is the media going to call out the Biden Administration? This Administration’s handling of the pandemic has been mediocre at best for the past 6 weeks. Biden declaring the “virus is on the run” last week was one of the most ignorant things he’s ever said. Unforced errors by the CDC, almost on a daily basis. A total lack of application of the precautionary principle, which is the one that public health officials are supposed to deploy at all times during an infectious disease pandemic! Basically, it means when in doubt – eg, on vaccine efficacy on contracting the virus – play it safe. And that doesn’t mean lockdown, it means make everyone aware that NPI should be used in indoor public spaces by all until we have a much higher percentage of fully vaccinated folks or a much lower caseload (<5k nationwide). The mostly liberal media was all over Trump for good reason, but they should do the same with Biden.

      1. They’re the worst for sure, Philip. And that will remain so. But, I’m also seeing a much more gradual – yet definite – upward trend in states like California, New York, Illinois, etc … This makes perfect sense, given what we’ve seen in other highly vaccinated places like the UK, Israel, and Portugal. No place is going to escape getting hit by Delta, unless they’re 100% vaccinated, and even then there will be breakthrough infections. Delta is disproving herd immunity theories right and left.

  5. Thank you for keeping it real and keeping us informed Joshua. I find it almost kafkanian-level absurdity that now pfizer – epitome of “evil
    Big Pharma” is being shot down by our own govt as they try to admit they are fallible and we have an issue with the efficacy.

    Intentional obtuseness and willfull ignorance abound – like somehow until we say it out loud – or if we don’t say it – its not true?

    Frankly I am beyond disgusted with – drum roll – Fauci. I get he is CLEARLY a “company man” – but first and foremost he’s a doctor. Unequivocal statements said by him that he knows are untrue but that he says for policy reasons (like at the beginning of the pandemic as an infectious disease dr actually saying masks don’t help – I get he apologized later and there was a ppe shortage but wow what a whopper – or now until recently he has been essentially pledging total safety to the fully vaccinated and cheering us to
    Ditch masks entirely) – to me he’s unethical. I’m sorry to say that – I get the reasons why he lies occasionally. Policy reasons that are real. However once a person in a position of power and authority feels ethics can be bent in pursuit of a greater policy goal – and that they “know better”
    and will tell untruths in the pursuit of a greater good – well isn’t the extreme version of that logic fascism??

    Just saying – at this point I feel Dr Fauci must have quite a bit of possibly avoidable blood on his hands – bc people trust him and believe him when he says they are totally safe W/o masks – which he glibly said in March 2020 many times (he stated due to mask shortage he went that direction) and now again in recent months per Biden’s political agenda. That’s incredibly irresponsible in my opinion. He’s a doctor, not a politician. Give people the facts and the truth and let them use their own judgment- especially when it could be life threatening.

    I wonder how many people who otherwise would mask up who are not bc they trust Fauci.

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