I’ve believed this for decades and was shocked that we are somehow just figuring it out. My youngest brought me up short on that thought. Her comment was it needs repeating constantly because people don’t listen.
So, if we cannot take common steps with the flu, how can we expect folks to do anything different for covid.
Exceptional. I enjoy all of your articles, but this one should be read multiple times by every individual. I have said elsewhere that I am not a fan of the word, should. This would be an exception
Joshua, I think I’ve asked before, but to be safe will ask again. May I share this on my FB page?
Thanks Joshua. I heard that is unknown if Powell received a booster as well. I wonder if that would have extended his life, even a few more months? Maybe long enough to fully recover eventually?
Of course, it was probably “his time” to go anyway.
I had read the same thing as Joshua regarding the booster for Powell.
Joshua, do you have any thoughts regarding bars/restaurants with huge gatherings especially should the Red Sox continue on to the WS? I don’t know if any rules in place for the city of Boston for those venues with regard to masks, distancing and capacity. It would be a shame for a major surge to develop throughout the city along with celebration.
Still…go Sox! 😀
Vicki, yes, you may indeed share the article on Facebook.
Most of my articles are not normative, that is, they don’t tell people what they ought to do. But, in this article I felt the need to emphasize boosters for the vulnerable.
To answer Philip’s question, I don’t believe it was Powell’s time to go. Yes, he had multiple myeloma. But, with the current treatments many people with MM live for many years after their diagnosis. I happen to know two people with MM who’ve both lived 10 years since their diagnosis, and are still very much alive. Having an underlying health condition doesn’t mean that a person who contracted Covid-19 (and has the underlying health condition) would have died very soon anyway. Surely, sometimes this is the case. But, it’s usually not the case. Several top-notch studies have shown that Covid-19 is not only lowering life expectancy overall by between 1 and 2 years, but for the typical/average Covid-19 death the number of years that person would have lived without Covid-19 is between 10 and 13, and the estimates are rising with the Delta variant.
Russian numbers are soaring once again. Record deaths – >1,000 today – and hospitalizations. Unvaccinated at-risk people (>65; immunocompromised) may not go outside their homes at all until March 2022. This is a mandatory quarantine, Russian-style.
Wow. That is one way to get glad to vaccinate
I’m not in favor of that. I wouldn’t mind seeing unvaccinated banned from many indoor venues, including restaurants
Thanks Joshua re MM. Also, what are your thoughts regarding my previous question (bars/restaurants)? Could those venues greatly increase case numbers?
Yes, they could. The good news is that Massachusetts is a highly vaccinated state. But, as we see in Vermont this doesn’t prevent an uptick. And, I think a better comparator would be England. Very similar vaccination rate to Massachusetts, similar population density, large urban and suburban cores.
I have growing confidence that AY.4.2 is now a sub-variant of concern. Experts are even assigning estimates of 10-15% more transmissible than the parent variant. The good news is that 10-15% is not a lot. The bad news is that this is probably only the beginning of an evolution of the ancestral Delta variant into something even more transmissible and vaccine-evasive. In Singapore other AY. sub-variants are being investigated. They appear to be causing significant numbers of breakthrough cases. https://twitter.com/Laurie_Garrett/status/1450551663710904327
Vicki, by the way, the Russian ordinance applies to those above 60, not 65. I wrote 65. So, anyone unvaccinated over 60 must stay home, cannot leave the house at all, until March 2022. Way too draconian, in my view. But, Russia has a massive problem with vaccine hesitance. Much worse than ours.
Is this to protect the older folks or to “punish” them for not being vaccinated. Mac had several Russian friends who now live here but whose families are still in Russia. I have heard stories from them.
The Dutch are reporting severe pressure (lack of space) on a number of hospitals; mostly in relatively rural areas of the country. They’re already having to move patients to hospitals in other towns and cities to relieve the pressure. They may have to move some patients to Germany soon. Keep in mind, the Netherlands is doing quite well in terms of vaccinations, and also significantly better than the U.S. in terms of overall Covid-19 indicators. But, hospital directors there are warning that the winter could be “very difficult” and they “must plan accordingly.” For some reason, I hardly ever hear from hospital directors in the U.S. in the news unless the situation is so dire – Idaho and Alaska – that explicit rationing comes into play.
Vicki, I think the Russian policy is a desperation move to get more people vaccinated. It’s so bad, there. An additional problem is that their vaccine – sputnik – does NOT have WHO backing.
Just so sad. But if you want more vaccinated, why not all unvaccinated and not just over 60. That is a big rhetorical as I’ve heard enough about Russian thought process to know there is no logic applied….just control
C-19 for 10-20 is ready.
Comments are closed.
Your no-hype southeastern New England weather blog!
I’ve believed this for decades and was shocked that we are somehow just figuring it out. My youngest brought me up short on that thought. Her comment was it needs repeating constantly because people don’t listen.
So, if we cannot take common steps with the flu, how can we expect folks to do anything different for covid.
https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1450445577997717513?s=21
Thanks TK!
Vicki, thanks for posting the tweet above.
My latest Forbes piece is on Colin Powell’s death from Covid-19 complications. I focus on what its implications are. https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2021/10/19/colin-powells-death-from-covid-19-highlights-the-need-for-boosters-and-mitigation-to-protect-at-risk-groups/?sh=659a1804fa2c
Exceptional. I enjoy all of your articles, but this one should be read multiple times by every individual. I have said elsewhere that I am not a fan of the word, should. This would be an exception
Joshua, I think I’ve asked before, but to be safe will ask again. May I share this on my FB page?
Thanks Joshua. I heard that is unknown if Powell received a booster as well. I wonder if that would have extended his life, even a few more months? Maybe long enough to fully recover eventually?
Of course, it was probably “his time” to go anyway.
I had read the same thing as Joshua regarding the booster for Powell.
Joshua, do you have any thoughts regarding bars/restaurants with huge gatherings especially should the Red Sox continue on to the WS? I don’t know if any rules in place for the city of Boston for those venues with regard to masks, distancing and capacity. It would be a shame for a major surge to develop throughout the city along with celebration.
Still…go Sox! 😀
Vicki, yes, you may indeed share the article on Facebook.
Most of my articles are not normative, that is, they don’t tell people what they ought to do. But, in this article I felt the need to emphasize boosters for the vulnerable.
To answer Philip’s question, I don’t believe it was Powell’s time to go. Yes, he had multiple myeloma. But, with the current treatments many people with MM live for many years after their diagnosis. I happen to know two people with MM who’ve both lived 10 years since their diagnosis, and are still very much alive. Having an underlying health condition doesn’t mean that a person who contracted Covid-19 (and has the underlying health condition) would have died very soon anyway. Surely, sometimes this is the case. But, it’s usually not the case. Several top-notch studies have shown that Covid-19 is not only lowering life expectancy overall by between 1 and 2 years, but for the typical/average Covid-19 death the number of years that person would have lived without Covid-19 is between 10 and 13, and the estimates are rising with the Delta variant.
Russian numbers are soaring once again. Record deaths – >1,000 today – and hospitalizations. Unvaccinated at-risk people (>65; immunocompromised) may not go outside their homes at all until March 2022. This is a mandatory quarantine, Russian-style.
Wow. That is one way to get glad to vaccinate
I’m not in favor of that. I wouldn’t mind seeing unvaccinated banned from many indoor venues, including restaurants
Thanks Joshua re MM. Also, what are your thoughts regarding my previous question (bars/restaurants)? Could those venues greatly increase case numbers?
Yes, they could. The good news is that Massachusetts is a highly vaccinated state. But, as we see in Vermont this doesn’t prevent an uptick. And, I think a better comparator would be England. Very similar vaccination rate to Massachusetts, similar population density, large urban and suburban cores.
I have growing confidence that AY.4.2 is now a sub-variant of concern. Experts are even assigning estimates of 10-15% more transmissible than the parent variant. The good news is that 10-15% is not a lot. The bad news is that this is probably only the beginning of an evolution of the ancestral Delta variant into something even more transmissible and vaccine-evasive. In Singapore other AY. sub-variants are being investigated. They appear to be causing significant numbers of breakthrough cases. https://twitter.com/Laurie_Garrett/status/1450551663710904327
Vicki, by the way, the Russian ordinance applies to those above 60, not 65. I wrote 65. So, anyone unvaccinated over 60 must stay home, cannot leave the house at all, until March 2022. Way too draconian, in my view. But, Russia has a massive problem with vaccine hesitance. Much worse than ours.
Is this to protect the older folks or to “punish” them for not being vaccinated. Mac had several Russian friends who now live here but whose families are still in Russia. I have heard stories from them.
The Dutch are reporting severe pressure (lack of space) on a number of hospitals; mostly in relatively rural areas of the country. They’re already having to move patients to hospitals in other towns and cities to relieve the pressure. They may have to move some patients to Germany soon. Keep in mind, the Netherlands is doing quite well in terms of vaccinations, and also significantly better than the U.S. in terms of overall Covid-19 indicators. But, hospital directors there are warning that the winter could be “very difficult” and they “must plan accordingly.” For some reason, I hardly ever hear from hospital directors in the U.S. in the news unless the situation is so dire – Idaho and Alaska – that explicit rationing comes into play.
Vicki, I think the Russian policy is a desperation move to get more people vaccinated. It’s so bad, there. An additional problem is that their vaccine – sputnik – does NOT have WHO backing.
Just so sad. But if you want more vaccinated, why not all unvaccinated and not just over 60. That is a big rhetorical as I’ve heard enough about Russian thought process to know there is no logic applied….just control
C-19 for 10-20 is ready.