46 thoughts on “C-19 Chat Post – July 20 2021”

  1. Provincetown mask Advisory. All must go back to wearing masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. I suppose it’s just a matter of time when Baker declares it statewide. 🙁

    And yet, their vaccination rate is 114%. I have NO idea how that number was derived. Joshua?

  2. 114% is impossible. You can bat a thousand, but you can’t bat over a thousand.

    Provincetown has a very high rate of vaccination among its 3,000 year-round residents. But, the town swells to 60,000 during summer. It’s the influx of people that is driving the outbreak. By the way, Boston isn’t immune to this, either. U.S. tourism is back. I see plenty of tourists from all over, including the hot spots – eg, cars with license plates from Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, and other states – which leads me to my next gripe. The U.S. is now issuing DO NOT TRAVEL warning telling Americans (me) not to go to the U.K., which is understandable given the level of outbreak there.

    https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1417171841467174919

    This begs the question, however, why aren’t similar travel warnings not issued domestically for states like Missouri that are seeing a far worse outbreak – per capita – than any part of the U.K.

    Back to the U.K, the anger among doctors and others about the changes in policy – “Freedom Day” – is visceral.

    https://twitter.com/peterahampshire/status/1417184436953788427

  3. Joshua, how can PM Boris Johnson justify lifting mask and social distancing when there are 50,000 cases per day in the UK? On the evening news there were huge crowds in bars celebrating like it’s 2019 again.

    Although actually isn’t their vaccination rate much higher than ours?

    1. Thanks JPD. I can’t read quite yet. I’m worried. Really worried. I have several comorbidities and the ability of this thing to mutate somehow seems evil.

      Joshua, Im not sure folks who are compromised should be going inside if it can be avoided. I’m outside more than most as you know. I can get anything I need without going into anyplace. I’ve been in one place since March 2020. I wondered if it would feel special. It didn’t change a thing.

      All of that said, I’ve always been happy with my own company. And I’m blessed to have kids and grandkids. So I’m not really alone. My heart aches for folks who have no one. And it aches for those who struggle with depression. So for those folks, then that makes sense.

      I am learning that an awful of people I speak with are not aware of the breakthrough OR a steady increase. So are people being less cautious?

      1. People are going nuts, most oblivious to what is going on or they plain don’t care. We are ripe for something awful here.

  6. My wife read a disturbing report last night that
    many of the break through cases are from the elderly or those who are immune compromised. Great for everyone else, but NOT so great for my wife and I. Just when we were getting ready to step back out into the world. This variant will keep us INSIDE
    for some time to come.

    Will this ever end. ENOUGH, already.

    1. To allay your concerns somewhat, I can say the following: Yes, it is true that the elderly and immunocompromised are more prone to breakthrough infections. But, being vaccinated still offers very good protection against severe illness for most of the people who are at-risk. A larger number of at-risk folks will get breakthrough infections than those who are not at risk, and some may become severely ill. But, it’s a relatively small number.

      I’m not a doctor. But, my advice to people is not to stay inside all the time or never go to public indoor spaces. Just exercise caution: Masking, distancing, avoiding poorly ventilated areas, and large crowds. Does this mean you can’t eat inside at a restaurant? No. You can do so, provided it’s not an elbow-to-elbow environment (like at a bar) and that you take the other precautions mentioned. This will NOT be forever. Promise. The virus will run out of ammunition, or simply hosts to infect.

      As Philip has mentioned a few times, the Spanish Flu included 3 or 4 waves which lasted from 1918 to 1920. It wasn’t vanquished after that, but it subsided to very low levels. I suspect something similar will happen with this virus by 2022.

    1. Thanks JJ. I never understood what they were thinking. But my heart aches for these amazingly talented athletes

    2. Cancelling the Olympics sounds like a good idea considering there are no spectators, athletes already testing positive for Covid, and that nation unable to maintain control of the virus just amongst its own citizens. Not to mention very low vaccination rates as it is.

      I say, wait until next year 2022. Olympics are traditionally held on even years anyway. The way things are happening right now, the games might as well have been held last year (2020) as scheduled.

  8. Philip, there’s a bitter dispute going on in Britain about the lifting of restrictions, particularly the timing of it all. Case levels are very high and today’s number of deaths reported – 96 – is the highest since early March. The only piece of good news is that cases may have peaked. We’ve seen 3 straight days of less than 50k. Today’s number of around 47k was less than Friday’s number of 54k. Still a lot of cases, however. Hospitalizations increased 40% this week, and deaths 60% in 1 week! There are lots of people suggesting there’s been a “great uncoupling” in Britain. That is simply not the case. There’s been a weakening of the link, but it’s clearly not broken when hospitalizations and deaths are increasing as much as they are.

  9. I just hope there isn’t a “Gamma” variant lurking out there as the next potential. I shudder to think going through the Greek alphabet of variants much like the Atlantic Hurricane season last year.

    1. Maybe there will be a `good’ variant named Ajax.

      Alternatively, maybe there will be a really bad one called Nero, which they will name after the cruel Roman emperor.

      I disagree with this Israeli scientist (see tweet thread link below) who says we’re back at square one (March 2020). I say this because now we have vaccines that do protect well (albeit somewhat diminished) against severe illness. Still, we must take into account what he is saying: https://twitter.com/erlichya/status/1417500150491197445

      1. I don’t think I agree either. But they are seeing an even less efficacy? That is terrifying really

        1. Indeed. A further drop has been seen by Israeli scientists and public health officials. See tweet below. This was just released. Israel is, figuratively speaking, light years ahead of other nations in terms of the success of its vaccination campaign, having a single payer system that coordinates and shares data across ALL patients everywhere in the country, and updating the data nearly constantly. https://twitter.com/itosettiMD_MBA/status/1417572251482927104/photo/1

          We (CDC) should be paying attention, but aren’t I’m afraid.

          1. I wonder why the CDC is ignoring this. Perhaps due to fears of backlash from the anti-vax community. But, frankly, the backlash will be worse if you hide from the data now and only reveal it later.

  10. CT up to 2.7% positivity rate today. We were below 1% for several weeks. I would imagine up there in MA they are seeing an increase in the positivity rate.

    1. It’s at 1.02%, which is still quite good, actually, considering that Arkansas is at 20%. Even CT’s 2.7% is manageable. It’s the rise that’s worrisome. Massachusetts was 0.29% just a couple of weeks ago. Once test positivity goes above, say, 3%, it suggests trouble.

  11. Joshua I was reading this is the highest positivity rate in CT since May 11th. Our hospitalizations are low at 54. When I saw the positivity rate I was like wow since as I said earlier we were below 1% for several weeks.

  12. White House is not being transparent about multiple breakthrough infections among vaccinated staffers. Notably, they have not changed the rules for indoor masking and distancing to protect the vulnerable. That’s just morally wrong and indefensible. No wonder Merkel looked uncomfortable sitting there in the WH without a mask (she was probably told not to wear one, even though she wears one indoors in public settings in Germany). Let’s imagine if this was the Trump WH and the outcry it would have caused. I’ve kind of had it with this Administration. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Sorry for the rant. https://twitter.com/kathrynw5/status/1417521726896889856

    1. This is unconscionable. And yes, if it were Trump, the media, every dem, would be screaming. I detest hypocrisy

  13. BREAKING NEWS:

    Anyone who traveled to Provincetown since July 1st, MUST get tested and self-isolate until a negative Covid test regardless of vaccination status upon return to Boston.

    1. 35 Covid-19 cases in Boston have been traced to Provincetown.

      MA DPH has traced 132 Covid-19 cases to Provincetown.

  15. I just saw a sound bite from an interview with Dr. Fauci and he stated that MANDATORY vaccinations are the only way out of this, especially for schools.

    1. It is a catch 22. If they mandate a vaccine that is not yet fully approved, it will open the government up to more law suits than I suspect it can survive.

    1. Ugh. I should have looked too. Masking was also not required and it took me a while to look to find that. Thanks SClarke

  17. Remember, this am when you said you had to trust walensky, Joshua? It was an admirable statement. I can’t help but wonder how you feel tonight

    I can’t get that tweet out of my mind. We truly have no one to trust. She knew. Baker sure as hell knows. Fauci knows. Do our governors know? I wonder if they are as much in the dark as we are.

    I was disappointed in our approach. I don’t know what I feel now. Disgust? Hopelessness? What?

    Can ANYONE fault folks for not getting the vaccine because they don’t trust? They were the ones who were not duped.

    I’d say I’m sorry for my rant but I don’t know where to turn at this point. Worse….What do they know about the vaccine they are not telling us?

  18. To go with Joshua’s comments if this was Trump or a republican president they would not be getting a pass by the media. Isn’t the media suppose to be objective and report the news???

    1. Yes, the media should.

      JJ, to answer your question on CT, your state has really done a commendable job throughout this pandemic. I know the test positivity is rising. But, as you note, thus far it hasn’t translated into higher hospitalizations. I think it will over time, almost inevitable, but let’s hope it’s only a muted wave or ripple. Let’s hope the same for other NE states. Vaccination rates are in our favor. This said, we’re not completely protected, and I do think we’ll all experience at least a ripple and perhaps a wave.

  19. Vicki, I completely understand your rant. I also ranted. Let’s conjugate the verb rant: I rant, you rant, we rant, we ranted, we’ve ranted, and last but not least sometimes we should be ranting.

    I personally like Walensky. I think she’s got her heart in the right place. But, she’s a poor communicator. I also think she feels hemmed in at times by the politics/optics of it all. I wish she was more frank with everyone. Level with the public. We can take it. We’re not going into lockdown. Yet, we do sometimes need to be reminded about simple measures we can take to limit transmission, EVEN if we’re vaccinated.

    1. Hahaha. I like that. As was the case with Trump, I sure hope Biden is not controlling those who work with him and limiting what they can convey. One thing I am sure of….he knows

        1. That definitely is a needed smile. Thank you. I like Biden also. He has overcome more than most could handle. He is gracious and down to earth. Not sure what the short circuit is here but hopefully it gets back on track

Comments are closed.