COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Calthrina950]

https://twitter.com/WardDPatrick/status/1309490727177592832

The third Governor to now contract the virus, following Stitt and Parson. And it only took what, a day or two after Parson?

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/1309529806145490945

Florida reported 2,851 new cases yesterday.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

https://twitter.com/StarTribune/status/1309523201408602113

[Dr. Arch]

The updated numbers for COVID-19 in the U.S. are in for 9/25 per: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

I'm keeping track of these updates daily and updating at the end of the day, whenever all states finish reporting for that day.

ΔW Change: Comparisons of Weekly Day-to-day Growth or Decline of COVID-19 Spread/Deaths.

• IE: Comparing the numbers to the same day of last week, are we flattening the curve enough?

Σ Increase: A day's contribution to overall percentage growth of COVID-19 cases/deaths.

• IE: What's the overall change in the total?

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9/13: <Sunday>

• Cases: 6,708,458 (+31,857 | ΔW Change: ↑9.48% | Σ Increase: ↑0.48%)
• Deaths: 198,520 (+392 | ΔW Change: ↓9.26% | Σ Increase: ↑0.20%)

9/14: <M>

• Cases: 6,749,289 (+40,831 | ΔW Change: ↑61.23% | Σ Increase: ↑0.61%)
• Deaths: 199,000 (+480 | ΔW Change: ↑69.01% | Σ Increase: ↑0.24%)

9/15: <T>

• Cases: 6,787,737 (+38,448 | ΔW Change: ↑34.17% | Σ Increase: ↑0.57%)
• Deaths: 200,178 (+1,178 | ΔW Change: ↑136.55% | Σ Increase: ↑0.59%)

9/16: <W>

• Cases: 6,828,301 (+40,564 | ΔW Change: ↑15.09% | Σ Increase: ↑0.60%)
• Deaths: 201,348 (+1,170 | ΔW Change: ↓3.07% | Σ Increase: ↑0.58%)

9/17: <Þ>

• Cases: 6,874,553 (+46,252 | ΔW Change: ↑19.55% | Σ Increase: ↑0.68%)
• Deaths: 202,213 (+865 | ΔW Change: ↓20.57% | Σ Increase: ↑0.43%)

9/18: <F>

• Cases: 6,925,941 (+51,388 | ΔW Change: ↑6.87% | Σ Increase: ↑0.75%)
• Deaths: 203,171 (+958 | ΔW Change: ↓12.35% | Σ Increase: ↑0.47%)

9/19: <S>

• Cases: 6,967,403 (+41,462 | ΔW Change: ↑2.75% | Σ Increase: ↑0.60%)
• Deaths: 203,824 (+653 | ΔW Change: ↓7.64% | Σ Increase: ↑0.32%)

9/20: <Sunday>

• Cases: 7,004,768 (+37,365 | ΔW Change: ↑17.29% | Σ Increase: ↑0.54%)
• Deaths: 204,118 (+294 | ΔW Change: ↓25.00% | Σ Increase: ↑0.14%)

9/21: <M>

• Cases: 7,046,216 (+41,448 | ΔW Change: ↑1.51% | Σ Increase: ↑0.59%)
• Deaths: 204,506 (+388 | ΔW Change: ↓19.17% | Σ Increase: ↑0.19%)

9/22: <T>

• Cases: 7,097,937 (+51,721 | ΔW Change: ↑34.52% | Σ Increase: ↑0.59%)
• Deaths: 205,471 (+965 | ΔW Change: ↓18.08% | Σ Increase: ↑0.19%)

9/23: <W>

• Cases: 7,139,553 (+41,616 | ΔW Change: ↑2.59% | Σ Increase: ↑0.59%)
• Deaths: 206,593 (+1,122 | ΔW Change: ↓4.10% | Σ Increase: ↑0.55%)

9/24 (Yesterday): <Þ>

• Cases: 7,185,471 (+45,918 | ΔW Change: ↓0.72% | Σ Increase: ↑0.64%)
• Deaths: 207,538 (+945 | ΔW Change: ↑9.25% | Σ Increase: ↑0.46%)

9/25 (Today): <F>

• Cases: 7,244,184 (+58,713 | ΔW Change: ↑14.25% | Σ Increase: ↑0.82%)
• Deaths: 208,440 (+902 | ΔW Change: ↓5.85% | Σ Increase: ↑0.43%)

[It’s so Joever]

https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/1309529806145490945

Florida reported 2,851 new cases yesterday.

Good. The more overwhelmed hospitals, the better for Biden.

[Tender Branson]

Austrian scientists have successfully developed a drug (not vaccine) that cures Coronavirus.

See International thread.

This will be the option of choice for the anti-vaxxers around the world.

[Dr. Arch]

Austrian scientists have successfully developed a drug (not vaccine) that cures Coronavirus.

See International thread.

This will be the option of choice for the anti-vaxxers around the world.

I went over and checked. It looks promising, but it's a case study. That treatment has a long road of trials and control testing to be proven effective for the general population, especially because it's an experimental drug.

[Pericles]

https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/1309529806145490945

Florida reported 2,851 new cases yesterday.

Good. The more overwhelmed hospitals, the better for Biden.

I have to disagree with you, that's an awful sentiment. It would be tragic if Florida has a third wave, hopefully the suffering is minimized.

[philly09]

https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/1309529806145490945

Florida reported 2,851 new cases yesterday.

Good. The more overwhelmed hospitals, the better for Biden.

I'm honestly wondering if this boneheaded move just swung Florida to Biden. Bloomberg is pouring 40M in ads.

[Pericles]

Reading this article, DeSantis' move looks even worse. It is disgusting that DeSantis is putting his citizens' lives at risks as a political move. And this also suggests it was an impulse decision, and DeSantis doesn't have a well-thought out plan for how to reopen Florida-

President Donald Trump found a new applause line at his Florida rally this week: “Normal life. O! I love normal life. We want to get back to normal life.” The next day, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis moved to deliver on that promise — or the appearance of it.

The Republican governor of the president’s must-win battleground responded 24 hours later by canceling all state coronavirus restrictions Friday without warning, catching local governments and epidemiologists off-guard amid their own strategies to keep the coronavirus contained.

Furthermore, the order is even worse than it looks because it also repeals all fines for not following mask mandates. It makes no sense to have almost no measures to limit the spread with thousands of new cases every day and still around 100 deaths every day. Hopefully Floridians still social distance and take precautions voluntarily so it doesn't get out of hand, but the signs aren't good imo.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

I don't want to defend DeSanits on most issues, but at this point, what could he really do? Do we really expect things to be closed forever? Is that what we want?

[GeorgiaModerate]

I don't want to defend DeSanits on most issues, but at this point, what could he really do? Do we really expect things to be closed forever? Is that what we want?

Hang on just a few more months until a vaccine is generally available?  That would seem to be a lot shorter than 'forever'.

[Calthrina950]

I don't want to defend DeSanits on most issues, but at this point, what could he really do? Do we really expect things to be closed forever? Is that what we want?

Hang on just a few more months until a vaccine is generally available?  That would seem to be a lot shorter than 'forever'.

Judging by what the CDC Director said in his congressional testimony last week, it's going to be longer than a "few more months." We could be looking at almost another year.

[GeorgiaModerate]

I don't want to defend DeSanits on most issues, but at this point, what could he really do? Do we really expect things to be closed forever? Is that what we want?

Hang on just a few more months until a vaccine is generally available?  That would seem to be a lot shorter than 'forever'.

Judging by what the CDC Director said in his congressional testimony last week, it's going to be longer than a "few more months." We could be looking at almost another year.

Perhaps so.  But if we just give up now and say the hell with it, many many more people will die or end up with permanent health problems during that year.  As a nation, we should be willing to pull together and put up with the inconvenience as long as it's necessary.  There *is* an end in sight.

I remember my mom talking about rationing during World War 2 (she still had one of her old coupon books, and gave it to my son several years ago because he's interested in history).  That lasted for more than two years -- and much longer than that for our friends in the UK.

[Beet]

Still a looong way to go for herd immunity.

Fewer than one in ten Americans have antibodies to the virus that causes Covid-19, indicating relatively low rates of immunity to the pathogen that has killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-25/covid-immunity-remains-low-with-under-10-of-u-s-adults-exposed

[Calthrina950]

I don't want to defend DeSanits on most issues, but at this point, what could he really do? Do we really expect things to be closed forever? Is that what we want?

Hang on just a few more months until a vaccine is generally available?  That would seem to be a lot shorter than 'forever'.

Judging by what the CDC Director said in his congressional testimony last week, it's going to be longer than a "few more months." We could be looking at almost another year.

Perhaps so.  But if we just give up now and say the hell with it, many many more people will die or end up with permanent health problems during that year.  As a nation, we should be willing to pull together and put up with the inconvenience as long as it's necessary.  There *is* an end in sight.

I remember my mom talking about rationing during World War 2 (she still had one of her old coupon books, and gave it to my son several years ago because he's interested in history).  That lasted for more than two years -- and much longer than that for our friends in the UK.

This event has placed into better context for me the duration of previously transformative events in American history-World War II (which you allude to me) did last for six years; World War I for four years; the Civil War for four years; and the Revolutionary War for eight years. The Great Depression, on its part, lasted for the better part of a decade. And previous generations did have to sacrifice and endure until those events were over. I certainly recognize and appreciate this, but given the considerable damage which has already been incurred from lockdowns and all the rest this year, I'm not sure how much longer the present situation will be sustainable fo.

[It’s so Joever]

I don't want to defend DeSanits on most issues, but at this point, what could he really do? Do we really expect things to be closed forever? Is that what we want?

A new strain of Magavirus has been detected in a commune in Kentucky. It isn’t related to currently known Magaviruses, and appears to impact cognitive function more aggressively than the current epidemic Magavirus.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/ryanstruyk/status/1309852606030897154

[Bandit3 the Worker]

https://twitter.com/ryanstruyk/status/1309852606030897154

Raw numbers are up, but positivity rate is way down. The 7-day positivity rate for yesterday was only 4.74% - the lowest since at least March 6, except for 3 days in Mid-June when it was 4.72 or 4.73%.

The rise in raw numbers are almost entirely fueled by colleges that try to test everyone. Penn State, Brigham Young University, and UW-Madison have a lot of cases.

[It’s so Joever]

https://reuters.com/article/idINKCN26D0AT

This is terrifying. Reinfection has been documented several times now, and in two cases, the second infection was actually worse. If these are not outliers, Covid-19 may permanently reduce life expectancy across the World until we control it (which could be never) Hopefully this is an outlier, but this looks pretty worrisome.

[GP270watch]

Still a looong way to go for herd immunity.

Fewer than one in ten Americans have antibodies to the virus that causes Covid-19, indicating relatively low rates of immunity to the pathogen that has killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-25/covid-immunity-remains-low-with-under-10-of-u-s-adults-exposed

 Why does Trump keep calling it herd mentality?

[GeorgiaModerate]

Still a looong way to go for herd immunity.

Fewer than one in ten Americans have antibodies to the virus that causes Covid-19, indicating relatively low rates of immunity to the pathogen that has killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-25/covid-immunity-remains-low-with-under-10-of-u-s-adults-exposed

 Why does Trump keep calling it herd mentality?

Maybe because he's exposed to a herd mentality every time he has a rally with his supporters?

[GP270watch]

Still a looong way to go for herd immunity.

Fewer than one in ten Americans have antibodies to the virus that causes Covid-19, indicating relatively low rates of immunity to the pathogen that has killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-25/covid-immunity-remains-low-with-under-10-of-u-s-adults-exposed

 Why does Trump keep calling it herd mentality?

Maybe because he's exposed to a herd mentality every time he has a rally with his supporters?

But what on Earth is herd mentality?

[GeorgiaModerate]

Still a looong way to go for herd immunity.

Fewer than one in ten Americans have antibodies to the virus that causes Covid-19, indicating relatively low rates of immunity to the pathogen that has killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-25/covid-immunity-remains-low-with-under-10-of-u-s-adults-exposed

 Why does Trump keep calling it herd mentality?

Maybe because he's exposed to a herd mentality every time he has a rally with his supporters?

But what on Earth is herd mentality?

Merriam-Webster's definition: "The tendency of the people in a group to think and behave in ways that conform with others in the group rather than as individuals."

[GP270watch]

Still a looong way to go for herd immunity.

Fewer than one in ten Americans have antibodies to the virus that causes Covid-19, indicating relatively low rates of immunity to the pathogen that has killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-25/covid-immunity-remains-low-with-under-10-of-u-s-adults-exposed

 Why does Trump keep calling it herd mentality?

Maybe because he's exposed to a herd mentality every time he has a rally with his supporters?

But what on Earth is herd mentality?

Merriam-Webster's definition: "The tendency of the people in a group to think and behave in ways that conform with others in the group rather than as individuals."

So what does this have to do with Covid-19?