12 votes

Weekly coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - week of August 2

This thread is posted weekly, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the situation is like where you live!

13 comments

  1. [4]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [2]
      bhrgunatha
      Link Parent
      Rather frustrating there's no mention of how many of those 10,207 hospitalised are vaccinated, other than 17 children at one hospital - "But none of the patients with COVID-19 at Nicklaus...

      Rather frustrating there's no mention of how many of those 10,207 hospitalised are vaccinated, other than 17 children at one hospital - "But none of the patients with COVID-19 at Nicklaus Children’s on Friday were vaccinated".

      It may be too early to have peer reviewed studies of the vaccine - delta relationship, but presumably there are records of whether people hospitalised are vaccinated or not.

      7 votes
      1. cfabbro
        Link Parent
        https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-941fcf43d9731c76c16e7354f5d5e187 Delta may have changed things slightly since that data from May, but I doubt it would be that dramatic a...

        https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-941fcf43d9731c76c16e7354f5d5e187

        An Associated Press analysis of available government data from May shows that “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 107,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That’s about 1.1%.

        And only about 150 of the more than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May were in fully vaccinated people. That translates to about 0.8%, or five deaths per day on average.

        The AP analyzed figures provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC itself has not estimated what percentage of hospitalizations and deaths are in fully vaccinated people, citing limitations in the data.

        Delta may have changed things slightly since that data from May, but I doubt it would be that dramatic a change. IMO it's probably still very likely that the vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths are amongst the unvaccinated.

        14 votes
    2. eladnarra
      Link Parent
      Living in Florida sucks right now.

      Living in Florida sucks right now.

      6 votes
  2. kfwyre
    Link
    Alarm as US Covid cases above 100,000 a day for first time since February

    Alarm as US Covid cases above 100,000 a day for first time since February

    Daily Covid-19 cases in the US moved above 100,000 a day for the first time since February, higher than the levels of last summer when vaccines were not available, and came as health officials sounded alarm over lagging rates of vaccination driving the surge of the infectious Delta variant.

    8 votes
  3. kfwyre
    Link
    Some school districts defy U.S. governors on mask rules

    Some school districts defy U.S. governors on mask rules

    New laws or executive orders in a number of states across the United States ban school officials from imposing mask mandates, leaving it up to parents to decide whether their children will wear masks in class.

    But with coronavirus cases rising sharply across the country, and new federal guidance that everyone, vaccinated or not, should wear masks in schools, some school districts in those states are imposing mask mandates anyway, despite the risk of financial penalties for defying the state orders.

    7 votes
  4. skybrian
    Link
    Some CA schools are mandating COVID tests while others aren’t […]

    Some CA schools are mandating COVID tests while others aren’t

    The state is urging schools to test students and staff regularly and encourage everyone on campus who’s eligible to get vaccinated. But neither vaccinations nor testing is required, and schools have flexibility as to how they implement measures to prevent COVID outbreaks.

    The result is a patchwork of safety plans that are likely to change as conditions evolve. Los Angeles Unified, for example, is testing all students and staff weekly, regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated. San Francisco Unified, meanwhile, is recommending that students and staff get tested if they have symptoms, but is not requiring tests.

    […]

    Public health experts predict a jump in Covid cases linked to schools reopening. Although children are less likely than adults to get sick or die from Covid, they’re also less likely to be vaccinated. Vaccines are only available to those age 12 and older, and only 11.5 percent of 12-to-18-year-olds nationwide have been fully vaccinated, according to the Mayo Clinic.

    6 votes
  5. [2]
    Moonchild
    (edited )
    Link
    CDC internal presentation. There's a lot in there, but I found slide 4 particularly fascinating as a demonstration of just how hard it is to do statistics correctly.

    CDC internal presentation. There's a lot in there, but I found slide 4 particularly fascinating as a demonstration of just how hard it is to do statistics correctly.

    5 votes
    1. skybrian
      Link Parent
      It seems like whenever you see a percentage you should think "percentage of what" and consider how that skews what you're seeing. So in slide 4: "Percentage of Hospitalizations" - okay, this...

      It seems like whenever you see a percentage you should think "percentage of what" and consider how that skews what you're seeing. So in slide 4:

      "Percentage of Hospitalizations" - okay, this matters for what hospitals are seeing, but they are seeing a skewed picture based on who needs to go to the hospital.

      It would be good to normalize these numbers based on the general population, maybe broken down by age groups.

      4 votes
  6. skybrian
    Link
    Panic-Buying And Transport Lockdowns. In Wuhan, It Feels Like Early Pandemic Again […]

    Panic-Buying And Transport Lockdowns. In Wuhan, It Feels Like Early Pandemic Again

    In a dramatic move reminiscent of the first days of the coronavirus in China some 19 months ago, flights and trains in and out of Wuhan have been halted amid a rise in COVID-19 cases linked to the highly infectious delta variant of the virus.

    Authorities have also ordered mass testing in the city of 11 million, where the virus was first detected before it spread around the world. Panic-buying by worried residents followed new lockdowns there.

    […]

    Although officially, the latest outbreak appears relatively small, health authorities have reacted aggressively in an effort to keep the virus from regaining a foothold in the country. Since Wuhan first became the epicenter of the pandemic in 2019 and early 2020, China has moved to quash outbreaks whenever and wherever they occur, quickly implementing lockdowns and mass testing.

    4 votes
  7. skybrian
    Link
    US Has Shipped 110 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses to 65 Countries (See the article for a chart of how much to each country.)

    US Has Shipped 110 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses to 65 Countries

    Most of the U.S. vaccine doses have been shipped through the World Health Organization-managed COVAX cooperative, as well as through regional partnerships such as the African Union and Caribbean Community. 

    Biden said that his administration has fulfilled its pledge to give at least 80 million vaccine doses to other nations around the globe and that they are a down payment on hundreds of millions of more doses that the United States will deliver in the coming weeks.

    "Starting at the end of this month, the administration will begin shipping a half a billion Pfizer doses that the United States has pledged to purchase and donate to 100 low-income countries in need," according to a White House statement.

    (See the article for a chart of how much to each country.)

    4 votes
  8. [2]
    moocow1452
    Link
    I was talking it over with my chiropractor, and she noticed that a lot of the health issues I'm having right now are inflammation based. I've also have had Covid in the past, and I wonder if the...

    I was talking it over with my chiropractor, and she noticed that a lot of the health issues I'm having right now are inflammation based. I've also have had Covid in the past, and I wonder if the two are related... Not that in my body has had Covid symptoms for the past year and a half, but the inflammatory response is stronger/longer lasting than usual.

    3 votes
    1. kfwyre
      Link Parent
      One of my coworkers who had COVID in the summer of 2020 ended up having to take a medical leave in the spring of 2021. She didn’t have “long COVID”, but she said she had to go on leave because a...

      One of my coworkers who had COVID in the summer of 2020 ended up having to take a medical leave in the spring of 2021. She didn’t have “long COVID”, but she said she had to go on leave because a lot of her more minor pre-existing issues flared up post-COVID and never really went away. She said that her doctor described COVID as “turning up the heat” on nearly every body system.

      This is an anecdote of one and far from medical expertise, obviously, but I share it because it sounds like your situation with inflammation might be similar to hers. I hope you’re able to find answers and relief.

      5 votes
  9. skybrian
    Link
    Philippines to Reimpose Lockdown in Capital; Stocks Plunge

    Philippines to Reimpose Lockdown in Capital; Stocks Plunge

    The Philippines will place its capital region under a strict lockdown from Aug. 6 to Aug. 20 and implement additional movement restrictions in the interim to stem the spread of the coronavirus’ delta variant. Stocks fell the most in six months.

    The Manila capital region, which accounts for about a third of the economy, will shift to the strictest restriction called enhanced community quarantine to avoid overwhelming hospitals, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said on Friday. Most businesses will be shut, and only essential shops like supermarkets and pharmacies can fully operate while restaurants will only be open for take out and deliveries.

    2 votes