Amy, yes, with lower testing you are correct that there could be more decoupling. But it’s still MUCH less decoupling than expected. Plus, we’re not even at peak in cases. Hospitalizations are rising through the roof in many states. And, deaths will approach 1,000 a day nationwide (something I did not expect would happen), and perhaps go beyond that. That’s pretty shocking, considering the decoupling in the UK, France, Netherlands, and every other wealthy country is much, much greater (both in terms of hospitalizations and deaths).
Our healthcare system and public health are woefully inadequate. Many of our politicians don’t give a damn (Abbott, DeSantis and many others), or, pay lip service to it (Biden Administration). Also pre-Covid, politicians didn’t care that the U.S. life expectancy was faltering for decades while other nations rose steadily. The gap in life expectancy between us and every other wealthy nation is so large. Inexcusable. Attributable to neglect across the board – from opioids to infant mortality to suicide to traffic fatalities to Covid, we’re failing.
Seeing the likes of McConnell repeatedly say “the U.S. has the greatest healthcare system in the world” is farcical. The disconnect with reality is stunning. He’s not alone, however, in his praise for a system that is incredibly uneven and requires an overhaul to adjust to the needs of public health.
Bought my travel insurance through Allianz, by the way.
I agree about the poor state of health care here in the US and the almost non-existent public health. Here in Eastern Massachusetts we live in a bubble, and if employed with good benefits, almost a bubble within a bubble.
I fell last year and badly broke my ankle, which was surgically repaired by an ankle trauma surgeon. Who even knew such a specialty even existed? I considered at the time what my outcome would have been a few hundred years ago… or if I lived somewhere rural and poor… which describes too much of the US.
Interesting but not surprising to hear that cash is no longer being accepted/used much in the UK as it has been moving in that direction for years. Contactless is huge, busses in London went cashless a few years ago, and they tried to do away with checks but relented on behalf of old people. People pay their rent and bills via automatic bank transfer.
Thanks for the tip about Allianz for travel insurance. This isn’t something we’ve needed to consider before.
I was reading up on the BinaxNow COVID test which can be used to meet the pre-flight testing requirement for returning to the US. However it requires video monitoring/guidance by an agent at the company, and they have been slammed by demand leading to people waiting hours in queue… Apparently they offer test monitoring en Espanol as well, and these agents also speak English. There’s no wait for a Spanish speaking agent…
What company did you use for your 2 day COVID test? And would you recommend them? I’ve been looking into this, and the list of possibilities is long…
Thank you, Joshua and Amy.
This from heather Cox Richardson’s email last night.
“ In Florida, the Miami-Dade school system is the fourth largest school district in the nation. When Superintendent Alberto Carvalho made it clear that he will follow the guidance of public health experts and doctors, DeSantis threatened to withhold the salaries of any superintendents or school board members who defy his executive order prohibiting mask mandates.
Carvalho issued a statement saying “At no point shall I allow my decision to be influenced by a threat to my paycheck; a small price to pay considering the gravity of this issue and the potential impact to the health and well-being of our students and dedicated employees.”
Both TX and FL are struggling with the huge number of covid patients. There has to be a way to stop them. How can there not be?
Those sick governors are KILLING people! They need to be held accountable. it is DISGUSTING.
They truly are. It is beyond belief that they are not stopped.
Amy, I used Randox, took the test itself at a local pharmacy – Hampstead Heath Pharmacy, which processed it through Randox. Really efficient, and conveniently located. For my return to the U.S. Covid test I used a local pharmacy again, this time in Muswell Hill near my AirBnB (Redwood Pharmacy).
Thank you for your post, Vicki. Sad state of affairs.
Here is another one of my concerns regarding the Delta wave;
In addition to the Delta Variant ravaging the country, what happens when too many get sick and it starts disrupting the food supply and all other goods and services. This could get extremely bad. Let us hope not, but something to consider.
We saw some disruption in previous waves. Could it be worse? I’m struggling with whether yo read Joshua’s link. I appreciate it being shared. I was focused on the hope that he expressed that this might be on a big downward trend by EOY.
I listened to a discussion between two health experts on the decisions being made by SC and FL and TX and a few other states.
The discussion centered on these Governors who removed the ability of individual communities to make decisions they feel is in their best interest. Both believe decisions belong at the local level for obvious reasons.
The line between red and blue grayed a fair amount for me as I listened. Isn’t that what Baker and Riley have done in Ma. They have taken the decision on how to address schools from the individual communities and the folks elected by the residents in those communities and placed all decisions in the hands of one individual who is fully supported by Baker.
Baker no longer exists in my opinion. He is hardly any better
than DeSantis. Something happened to him as he previously was handling things very well, then it abruptly changed. (coincidence or not, I do believe it was after he met with Mike Pence)
Hmmmm I had not put that together.
I am absolutely shocked that we have not seen him at all. He was having weekly updates throughout the other waves. If he has given up on his obligations, then step down.
Hadi, thank you for your comment last night. I agree with a good deal of it.
I do want to be clear that, while I absolutely believe Biden is failing when it comes to covid, I support a huge part of many of his other policies. He is taking very successful pages from the books of FDR and perhaps, even more so, Truman. His plate is beyond overflowing. And no one can deny that was he handed a mess. That said, at the moment, he is not doing a good job addressing covid. It is under his lead that the health agencies are giving very mixed messages…just as one example. As with Trump, it all goes back to the person in charge.
As you know from other discussions, I don’t believe disagreeing with anyone on one issue means Folks disagree with all. And conversely, if Folks disagree with most, it doesn’t mean they disagree with all.
You are absolutely correct that some states are making the job extremely difficult. But there are measures he can take …..this is just one example.
Generally agree with Hadi on states’ rights issue. Still, messaging matters, and the Biden Administration is doing a very poor job at messaging. Early on it was quite good. But now it’s not. Also, the Administration should be convening meetings with all governors. It’s something they alluded to 6 months ago, but really haven’t done, at least not publicly. Sure, some GOP governors will decline to participate, but then at least you’ve made it abundantly clear where the problems are and who’s responsible for them.
You may recall my worry about an significantly elevated plateau following an initial drop in cases, in places like the UK. Well, here we are, and it ain’t good. There’s some decoupling with hospitalizations, which is good, and even more with deaths, which is good (though today’s 146 deaths figure is quite high). But, the link is weakened and certainly not broken. The longer this all lingers, with new variants lurking, waning immunity, the bigger the mess this winter. I’m deeply concerned. https://twitter.com/thehowie/status/1425189754308489216/photo/1
Exactly re Biden. The rest is truly worrisome.
C-19 for 8-11 is ready.
Comments are closed.
Your no-hype southeastern New England weather blog!
Thank you, Mama Mia.
Amy, yes, with lower testing you are correct that there could be more decoupling. But it’s still MUCH less decoupling than expected. Plus, we’re not even at peak in cases. Hospitalizations are rising through the roof in many states. And, deaths will approach 1,000 a day nationwide (something I did not expect would happen), and perhaps go beyond that. That’s pretty shocking, considering the decoupling in the UK, France, Netherlands, and every other wealthy country is much, much greater (both in terms of hospitalizations and deaths).
Our healthcare system and public health are woefully inadequate. Many of our politicians don’t give a damn (Abbott, DeSantis and many others), or, pay lip service to it (Biden Administration). Also pre-Covid, politicians didn’t care that the U.S. life expectancy was faltering for decades while other nations rose steadily. The gap in life expectancy between us and every other wealthy nation is so large. Inexcusable. Attributable to neglect across the board – from opioids to infant mortality to suicide to traffic fatalities to Covid, we’re failing.
Seeing the likes of McConnell repeatedly say “the U.S. has the greatest healthcare system in the world” is farcical. The disconnect with reality is stunning. He’s not alone, however, in his praise for a system that is incredibly uneven and requires an overhaul to adjust to the needs of public health.
Bought my travel insurance through Allianz, by the way.
I agree about the poor state of health care here in the US and the almost non-existent public health. Here in Eastern Massachusetts we live in a bubble, and if employed with good benefits, almost a bubble within a bubble.
I fell last year and badly broke my ankle, which was surgically repaired by an ankle trauma surgeon. Who even knew such a specialty even existed? I considered at the time what my outcome would have been a few hundred years ago… or if I lived somewhere rural and poor… which describes too much of the US.
Interesting but not surprising to hear that cash is no longer being accepted/used much in the UK as it has been moving in that direction for years. Contactless is huge, busses in London went cashless a few years ago, and they tried to do away with checks but relented on behalf of old people. People pay their rent and bills via automatic bank transfer.
Thanks for the tip about Allianz for travel insurance. This isn’t something we’ve needed to consider before.
I was reading up on the BinaxNow COVID test which can be used to meet the pre-flight testing requirement for returning to the US. However it requires video monitoring/guidance by an agent at the company, and they have been slammed by demand leading to people waiting hours in queue… Apparently they offer test monitoring en Espanol as well, and these agents also speak English. There’s no wait for a Spanish speaking agent…
What company did you use for your 2 day COVID test? And would you recommend them? I’ve been looking into this, and the list of possibilities is long…
Thank you, Joshua and Amy.
This from heather Cox Richardson’s email last night.
“ In Florida, the Miami-Dade school system is the fourth largest school district in the nation. When Superintendent Alberto Carvalho made it clear that he will follow the guidance of public health experts and doctors, DeSantis threatened to withhold the salaries of any superintendents or school board members who defy his executive order prohibiting mask mandates.
Carvalho issued a statement saying “At no point shall I allow my decision to be influenced by a threat to my paycheck; a small price to pay considering the gravity of this issue and the potential impact to the health and well-being of our students and dedicated employees.”
Both TX and FL are struggling with the huge number of covid patients. There has to be a way to stop them. How can there not be?
Those sick governors are KILLING people! They need to be held accountable. it is DISGUSTING.
They truly are. It is beyond belief that they are not stopped.
Amy, I used Randox, took the test itself at a local pharmacy – Hampstead Heath Pharmacy, which processed it through Randox. Really efficient, and conveniently located. For my return to the U.S. Covid test I used a local pharmacy again, this time in Muswell Hill near my AirBnB (Redwood Pharmacy).
Thank you for your post, Vicki. Sad state of affairs.
As I’ve said before, Israel is a bellwether of sorts. I follow their data closely. The latest is just not good. No two ways about it. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/6-000-new-cases-israel-hits-seven-month-high-in-covid-infections-1.10103517
Here is another one of my concerns regarding the Delta wave;
In addition to the Delta Variant ravaging the country, what happens when too many get sick and it starts disrupting the food supply and all other goods and services. This could get extremely bad. Let us hope not, but something to consider.
We saw some disruption in previous waves. Could it be worse? I’m struggling with whether yo read Joshua’s link. I appreciate it being shared. I was focused on the hope that he expressed that this might be on a big downward trend by EOY.
I listened to a discussion between two health experts on the decisions being made by SC and FL and TX and a few other states.
The discussion centered on these Governors who removed the ability of individual communities to make decisions they feel is in their best interest. Both believe decisions belong at the local level for obvious reasons.
The line between red and blue grayed a fair amount for me as I listened. Isn’t that what Baker and Riley have done in Ma. They have taken the decision on how to address schools from the individual communities and the folks elected by the residents in those communities and placed all decisions in the hands of one individual who is fully supported by Baker.
Baker no longer exists in my opinion. He is hardly any better
than DeSantis. Something happened to him as he previously was handling things very well, then it abruptly changed. (coincidence or not, I do believe it was after he met with Mike Pence)
Hmmmm I had not put that together.
I am absolutely shocked that we have not seen him at all. He was having weekly updates throughout the other waves. If he has given up on his obligations, then step down.
Hadi, thank you for your comment last night. I agree with a good deal of it.
I do want to be clear that, while I absolutely believe Biden is failing when it comes to covid, I support a huge part of many of his other policies. He is taking very successful pages from the books of FDR and perhaps, even more so, Truman. His plate is beyond overflowing. And no one can deny that was he handed a mess. That said, at the moment, he is not doing a good job addressing covid. It is under his lead that the health agencies are giving very mixed messages…just as one example. As with Trump, it all goes back to the person in charge.
As you know from other discussions, I don’t believe disagreeing with anyone on one issue means Folks disagree with all. And conversely, if Folks disagree with most, it doesn’t mean they disagree with all.
You are absolutely correct that some states are making the job extremely difficult. But there are measures he can take …..this is just one example.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/06/10/biden-world-covid-vaccines-hoover-famine-relief-493228
Generally agree with Hadi on states’ rights issue. Still, messaging matters, and the Biden Administration is doing a very poor job at messaging. Early on it was quite good. But now it’s not. Also, the Administration should be convening meetings with all governors. It’s something they alluded to 6 months ago, but really haven’t done, at least not publicly. Sure, some GOP governors will decline to participate, but then at least you’ve made it abundantly clear where the problems are and who’s responsible for them.
You may recall my worry about an significantly elevated plateau following an initial drop in cases, in places like the UK. Well, here we are, and it ain’t good. There’s some decoupling with hospitalizations, which is good, and even more with deaths, which is good (though today’s 146 deaths figure is quite high). But, the link is weakened and certainly not broken. The longer this all lingers, with new variants lurking, waning immunity, the bigger the mess this winter. I’m deeply concerned. https://twitter.com/thehowie/status/1425189754308489216/photo/1
Exactly re Biden. The rest is truly worrisome.
C-19 for 8-11 is ready.