Comparing the 5 states with the highest vaccination rates to the 5 states with the lowest vaccination rates, we see that in the past 2 weeks in the states with the highest vaccination rates:
– Infections are down 40%
– Test positivity down to 1.2%
By contrast, in the 5 states with the lowest vaccination rates:
– Infections are up 4%
– Test positivity is up to 8.4%
This brief data blurb explains my concern about the sun belt this summer. Clearly, that area of the country is not out of the woods. We saw a wave there last summer. It would not surprise me if we see another wave or at least a ripple there this summer as folks head indoors to air-conditioned spaces.
Melbourne, Australia in what is called a circuit breaker lockdown. It’s a very stringent lockdown (can’t travel beyond a 5km radius, and within the radius only for essential items), but limited to 7 days. Why is it doing this? 26 cases were found yesterday and today. I must say I find the policy draconian to say the least. If we had that kind of policy we’d be in a permanent state of lockdown everywhere in this country. At the same time, Australia has had a formidable record, with no excess mortality at all (all-cause), and in fact an improvement in life expectancy overall, which stands out as practically no other nation on earth has achieved that in the year of Covid.
What about masks over there?
Sure is an extreme. But it works. What we are doing is patchwork so doesn’t.
Five states with high vaccine rate. A whole lot of states without.
I’ll be brief today, as I’ve got a deadline.
Globally the picture is as murky as ever. Improvements in some places (Europe, US), stalemate (Brazil) in others (India’s improvement has stalled, unfortunately), worsening in some (Argentina).
UK still doing well, but they’ve experienced a rather incredible 35% increase in cases in 10 days. Culprit: B.1.6172. They do take things seriously there, though. Daughter plays softball at Primrose Hill and Regent’s Park (both in London) and they allow no spectators, not even friends or family. Surge testing – with almost everyone now having 5 at-home tests sent by the government (NHS) – is universal where there are outbreaks. Compared to the UK the US is woefully unprepared, I’m sorry to say.
An article in today’s Washington Post, drawing from National Health Statistics data, describes how un-vaccinated young adults in Maryland have same infection rate as in January surge. Even worse, the risk of hospitalization among the infected has more than doubled, possibly because of widespread coronavirus variants.
Philip, yes, Australians wear masks and distance, especially when there are these small outbreaks. They even do so outdoors. Strangely, it’s not a country that appears to mind rules or protocols. Frankly, I would have expected more of an American attitude, like “this is `Merica damn it, I burn masks, don’t wear `em. And I’d rather be dead than locked down.”
Canadians have done a tremendous job in the past 6 weeks. They had a flagging vaccination campaign, and they addressed it. They’ve now surpassed the U.S. in terms of people with a 1st dose AND their case rate is now lower than the U.S. again.
Not good: Taiwan reports 671 new cases and 13 deaths. The case fatality rate thus far is high due to relatively low testing and very high test positivity; those who test positive are symptomatic (usually quite ill). This outbreak is tenacious. Similar in Japan.
Being posted tomorrow by DESE….
Hot of the presses from DESE…
• Fall 2021 school reopening: For the fall, all districts and schools will be required to be in-person, full-time, five days a week, and all DESE health and safety requirements will be lifted. This includes all physical distancing requirements. We will collaborate with the Department of Public Health (DPH) to issue any additional health and safety recommendations over the summer (e.g., masks for elementary school students). We will provide any updates to districts and schools as we receive them.
Ahhh. There is that ship again. But then DESE has not shown logic throughout so why start now.
School admins and teachers have identified many positives from remote learning thanks to Covid. I’ve posted them here previously. But then ..,,We have a school system that ranks anywhere from 13-15
worldwide.
We could learn from the top systems. That would be the intelligent approach. But then we have not. So why I would think we might have learned from this past year …..well, I tend to be a Pollyanna and hope for the best.
I’d like to add I am impressed that DESE is farsighted enough to know what fall will bring. It is not as if it blew it last summer when it didn’t focus on creating the best remote possible.
Thank you, Sutton, and other towns that did make that it’s focus.
Vicki,
A few days ago you asked if anyone could report on how younger people reacted to the vaccine. My sons are 17 and 19. It went like this:
The 19 year-old got Moderna. He had a very mild reaction to the first dose. He had the second two days ago and still has a mild headache, but no real problems.
The 17 year-old got Pfizer. He had no reaction to the first dose other than the expected arm soreness. The second dose really hit him hard. Ten hours after the shot, as he was going to bed, he started feeling feverish. He did not sleep well that night. The next morning when I first saw him, I was shocked. He was moving like he was drunk. He was dizzy. His vision was blurry and things looked green to him. His head ached and his ears were ringing. When he drank some water, it tasted odd. He felt nauseous. Later in the day when he tried eating, he could not taste. Taking ibuprofen relieved some of the symptoms.
It took him three days to get back to almost normal, and five to fully recover. He said that this was the worst that he ever felt.
I’m sorry to hear about your son’s reaction, SClarke. That’s a severe reaction, in my opinion. But, I’m not a health professional.
Oh my gosh. Thank you for sharing this It truly goes above and beyond. I’m so so sorry your younger son had such a strong reaction. Both my girls are thinking Pfeizer when it comes time.
I know my daughters will be extremely appreciative that you shared this. Hugs to you and all of yours as this has to be a difficult time.
Thank you Joshua and Vicki.
One thing that we keep thinking is that he may have had Covid way back in February 2020. He was taking classes at the community college in Bedford, and that area had a lot of early cases. He felt a little out of it for a few days and had a slight fever. I wonder if this could be the reason for his reaction. But the weird thing is that he hardly noticed the first dose.
I was wondering also. Either way I am sure happy your son is back to himself. I can’t imagine your concern.
My youngests friend had covid and didn’t react to her first Pfeizer. I will let you know how she reacts to her second
I’m glad the school systems have aspirations for full-time in-person learning. I also think it will happen. But, they’re making the mistake of substituting aspirations with a mandate of sorts. We, they, and everybody will have to be flexible and adjust to changing circumstances. Right now things are heading in the right direction. I think this will continue in Massachusetts. But, we can’t be sure about the fall until we get there. The precautionary principle must apply, in my view. It appears that the British and really all West European governments are doing just that. They’re happy about the direction they’re going. But, they’re all cautious about the future; especially the fall and winter. The latest case and hospitalization increase in the UK – a highly vaccinated country; more optimally vaccinated than we are – should give us pause. I know it gives the British pause. This is why not a single West European country I know of – including Sweden – has full capacity indoor seating at bars, restaurants, and arenas. In fact, many don’t have their bar areas open at all, and indoor arenas are pretty much without fans; even outdoor stadiums have strict capacity limits. This includes the UK, which has a lower case and hospitalization load than we do currently.
Absolutely agree
C-19 for 5-28 is ready.
Comments are closed.
Your no-hype southeastern New England weather blog!
Vaccines work!
Comparing the 5 states with the highest vaccination rates to the 5 states with the lowest vaccination rates, we see that in the past 2 weeks in the states with the highest vaccination rates:
– Infections are down 40%
– Test positivity down to 1.2%
By contrast, in the 5 states with the lowest vaccination rates:
– Infections are up 4%
– Test positivity is up to 8.4%
This brief data blurb explains my concern about the sun belt this summer. Clearly, that area of the country is not out of the woods. We saw a wave there last summer. It would not surprise me if we see another wave or at least a ripple there this summer as folks head indoors to air-conditioned spaces.
Melbourne, Australia in what is called a circuit breaker lockdown. It’s a very stringent lockdown (can’t travel beyond a 5km radius, and within the radius only for essential items), but limited to 7 days. Why is it doing this? 26 cases were found yesterday and today. I must say I find the policy draconian to say the least. If we had that kind of policy we’d be in a permanent state of lockdown everywhere in this country. At the same time, Australia has had a formidable record, with no excess mortality at all (all-cause), and in fact an improvement in life expectancy overall, which stands out as practically no other nation on earth has achieved that in the year of Covid.
What about masks over there?
Sure is an extreme. But it works. What we are doing is patchwork so doesn’t.
Five states with high vaccine rate. A whole lot of states without.
I’ll be brief today, as I’ve got a deadline.
Globally the picture is as murky as ever. Improvements in some places (Europe, US), stalemate (Brazil) in others (India’s improvement has stalled, unfortunately), worsening in some (Argentina).
UK still doing well, but they’ve experienced a rather incredible 35% increase in cases in 10 days. Culprit: B.1.6172. They do take things seriously there, though. Daughter plays softball at Primrose Hill and Regent’s Park (both in London) and they allow no spectators, not even friends or family. Surge testing – with almost everyone now having 5 at-home tests sent by the government (NHS) – is universal where there are outbreaks. Compared to the UK the US is woefully unprepared, I’m sorry to say.
An article in today’s Washington Post, drawing from National Health Statistics data, describes how un-vaccinated young adults in Maryland have same infection rate as in January surge. Even worse, the risk of hospitalization among the infected has more than doubled, possibly because of widespread coronavirus variants.
Philip, yes, Australians wear masks and distance, especially when there are these small outbreaks. They even do so outdoors. Strangely, it’s not a country that appears to mind rules or protocols. Frankly, I would have expected more of an American attitude, like “this is `Merica damn it, I burn masks, don’t wear `em. And I’d rather be dead than locked down.”
Canadians have done a tremendous job in the past 6 weeks. They had a flagging vaccination campaign, and they addressed it. They’ve now surpassed the U.S. in terms of people with a 1st dose AND their case rate is now lower than the U.S. again.
Not good: Taiwan reports 671 new cases and 13 deaths. The case fatality rate thus far is high due to relatively low testing and very high test positivity; those who test positive are symptomatic (usually quite ill). This outbreak is tenacious. Similar in Japan.
Being posted tomorrow by DESE….
Hot of the presses from DESE…
• Fall 2021 school reopening: For the fall, all districts and schools will be required to be in-person, full-time, five days a week, and all DESE health and safety requirements will be lifted. This includes all physical distancing requirements. We will collaborate with the Department of Public Health (DPH) to issue any additional health and safety recommendations over the summer (e.g., masks for elementary school students). We will provide any updates to districts and schools as we receive them.
Ahhh. There is that ship again. But then DESE has not shown logic throughout so why start now.
School admins and teachers have identified many positives from remote learning thanks to Covid. I’ve posted them here previously. But then ..,,We have a school system that ranks anywhere from 13-15
worldwide.
We could learn from the top systems. That would be the intelligent approach. But then we have not. So why I would think we might have learned from this past year …..well, I tend to be a Pollyanna and hope for the best.
I’d like to add I am impressed that DESE is farsighted enough to know what fall will bring. It is not as if it blew it last summer when it didn’t focus on creating the best remote possible.
Thank you, Sutton, and other towns that did make that it’s focus.
Vicki,
A few days ago you asked if anyone could report on how younger people reacted to the vaccine. My sons are 17 and 19. It went like this:
The 19 year-old got Moderna. He had a very mild reaction to the first dose. He had the second two days ago and still has a mild headache, but no real problems.
The 17 year-old got Pfizer. He had no reaction to the first dose other than the expected arm soreness. The second dose really hit him hard. Ten hours after the shot, as he was going to bed, he started feeling feverish. He did not sleep well that night. The next morning when I first saw him, I was shocked. He was moving like he was drunk. He was dizzy. His vision was blurry and things looked green to him. His head ached and his ears were ringing. When he drank some water, it tasted odd. He felt nauseous. Later in the day when he tried eating, he could not taste. Taking ibuprofen relieved some of the symptoms.
It took him three days to get back to almost normal, and five to fully recover. He said that this was the worst that he ever felt.
I’m sorry to hear about your son’s reaction, SClarke. That’s a severe reaction, in my opinion. But, I’m not a health professional.
Oh my gosh. Thank you for sharing this It truly goes above and beyond. I’m so so sorry your younger son had such a strong reaction. Both my girls are thinking Pfeizer when it comes time.
I know my daughters will be extremely appreciative that you shared this. Hugs to you and all of yours as this has to be a difficult time.
Thank you Joshua and Vicki.
One thing that we keep thinking is that he may have had Covid way back in February 2020. He was taking classes at the community college in Bedford, and that area had a lot of early cases. He felt a little out of it for a few days and had a slight fever. I wonder if this could be the reason for his reaction. But the weird thing is that he hardly noticed the first dose.
I was wondering also. Either way I am sure happy your son is back to himself. I can’t imagine your concern.
My youngests friend had covid and didn’t react to her first Pfeizer. I will let you know how she reacts to her second
I’m glad the school systems have aspirations for full-time in-person learning. I also think it will happen. But, they’re making the mistake of substituting aspirations with a mandate of sorts. We, they, and everybody will have to be flexible and adjust to changing circumstances. Right now things are heading in the right direction. I think this will continue in Massachusetts. But, we can’t be sure about the fall until we get there. The precautionary principle must apply, in my view. It appears that the British and really all West European governments are doing just that. They’re happy about the direction they’re going. But, they’re all cautious about the future; especially the fall and winter. The latest case and hospitalization increase in the UK – a highly vaccinated country; more optimally vaccinated than we are – should give us pause. I know it gives the British pause. This is why not a single West European country I know of – including Sweden – has full capacity indoor seating at bars, restaurants, and arenas. In fact, many don’t have their bar areas open at all, and indoor arenas are pretty much without fans; even outdoor stadiums have strict capacity limits. This includes the UK, which has a lower case and hospitalization load than we do currently.
Absolutely agree
C-19 for 5-28 is ready.