This is getting real.

I woke this morning to the news that COVID has infected well over 10 million of us and killed almost a quarter million of our mothers, fathers, daughters, siblings, and grandparents.

Worse, the infection rate in the Midwest and Great Plains is exploding…

As is the overall US infection rate…

If anything, the trend line is worse than it appears, as it is an average of the last 7 days. With daily new case counts rising rapidly (Wednesday’s count was 142,755), this third wave is looking more like a tsunami.

Latest research

The CDC is finally putting on its big boy pants…

CDC recommends community use of masks, specifically non-valved multi-layer cloth masks, to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Wow…who would’ve thunk it??

Research determined that wearing masks protects the wearer as well as those around them. From CDC:

An investigation of a high-exposure event, in which 2 symptomatically ill hair stylists interacted for an average of 15 minutes with each of 139 clients during an 8-day period, found that none of the 67 clients who subsequently consented to an interview and testing developed infection. The stylists and all clients universally wore masks in the salon as required by local ordinance and company policy at the time.

Make sure your masks:

• have multiple cloth layers and/or
• are made of silk or
• polypropylene.

Vaccine progress

The NYTimes’ excellent – and constantly updated – vaccine progress tracker reports there are:

• no vaccines currently approved for wide use;
• 6 vaccines approved for early or limited use; and
• 11 more in large scale efficacy (does it work?) testing.

Pfizer’s vaccine shows a lot of promise, with early results from a large study indicating it was 90%+ effective in “preventing the disease in individuals with no prior history of the disease.”

The vaccine has some significant logistical challenges which will make distribution tricky indeed; it:

• requires two doses;
• must be kept cold – as in 112 degrees below zero cold; and
• is going to require a massive effort to get enough doses out fast enough to bend the curve.

Notably, Pfizer did not take any taxpayer money to fund its research, and its executives specifically stated the company is not participating in “Operation Warp Speed.”

Hospitals in ten high-infection states are at or beyond capacity.  From the Atlantic;

According to local news reports, hospitals are already on the brink of being overwhelmed in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin,

Implications

Expect a return to limited availability of facility-based medical services. Hospitals are going to have to cut back on elective services to maintain capacity.

More states will mandate restrictions on group gatherings and business operations. New York has already done so, along with North Dakota and I’m sure several others.

There will be significant economic effects.

What does this mean for you?

If everything goes well, by spring 2021 – that’s late March – there may be enough of us vaccinated to slow the virus’ spread.

Be responsible. Wear a mask.

 

 

 

 

It’s been a while since we dove into the latest research on COVID. Here’s a summary of where things stand.

“Cures”

Today there are no “cures” for COVID19. More accurately, no drugs or treatments have been proven to “cure” the disease.

A just-released study found that four drugs commonly used to treat hospitalized patients – anti-viral Remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, Interferon, and Lopinavar:

“appeared to have little or no effect on hospitalized COVID-19, as indicated by overall mortality, initiation of ventilation and duration of hospital stay.”

The study was international in scope, used a randomized control format (a rigorous and well-regarded methodology), and enrolled over 11 thousand patients. Note the study has NOT yet been peer-reviewed

Gilead – manufacturer of remdesivir – disputed the study’s findings, which found:

no drug or combination reduced mortality, the chances that mechanical ventilation would be needed, or time spent in the hospital, compared with the patients without drug treatment. (NYTimes)

There are some indications that remdesivir may provide some benefit if administered early in an infection where it can tamp down the body’s immune response – which can be counter-productive.

Data

The US has administered over 119 million tests. About 8 million of us have been infected.  And 210,000 have died.

Black people are dying at more than twice the rate of White people. Other minorities are also dying at a far higher rate.

You can track infections, tests, and deaths in your state here.

The infection rate is climbing – again – especially in the Dakotas, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, Rhode Island, and New Mexico. (the darker the color, the higher the infection rate)

Debunking the claim that COVID death rates are “inflated”

Some have claimed that COVID death rates are inflated as many folks that died of COVID had other major health conditions – COVID deniers have been spreading this lie in an attempt to downplay the disastrous effects of COVID.

The CDC’s definition of the underlying cause of death is “the condition that began the chain of events that ultimately led to the person’s death.”

Think of it this way – if a person infected with COVID gets hit by a truck and killed, the cause of death will be listed as Motor Vehicle Accident – NOT COVID.

Similarly, if a person with COVID, hypertension and diabetes falls down the stairs and dies, the cause of death will be listed as “accidental fall”, NOT COVID

So, if a person with COVID, hypertension and diabetes dies after being admitted to the hospital, placed on a ventilator, given remdesivir, and administered oxygen dies, the cause of death will be listed as COVID.

What does this mean for you?

Wear a damn mask. Wash your hands.