Coronavirus, the Early July Edition

Coronavirus, the Early July Edition

       By the Numbers 

Some weeks I scramble for numbers, and some weeks they are thrown at me.  It has been reported that in May, the “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That’s about 0.15%.

And only about 150 of the more than 18,000 COVID-19 deaths in May were in fully vaccinated people. That translates to about 0.8%.

Which means that 99.2% of the Americans currently dying of the coronavirus are unvaccinated.

As of 7/2, 54% of all Americans have received at least one dose, and 47% are fully vaccinated.

For the last two weeks, the average number of daily new cases has stabilized at 12,500.  12,312 were unvaccinated.  

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As we step off our moral-high-ground ;) lets remember the yearly crud.  As we mix it up again, all the sniffles, colds, fevers that comprise the fall cold season are going to hit us hard.  Our immune systems have had a 16 month hiatus, and may be a bit slow starting up again.  Those little germ spreaders are going to be going to school in the fall, and the churn will begin.

1. Practice proper hand washing. ...Yeah, that's going to be with us for a while :)
   
2. Stock your medicine cabinet. Nyquil works well for me.
3. Load up on other health supplies. ...
4. Fill your pantry with drinks and comfort foods. ...I can deal with a case of Mac and Cheese
5. Get a flu vaccine. ... 
6. Take those sick days when needed. 
   

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On June 27th, Pennsylvania's official count of new cases was 97.  This is the first time I have tracked a double digit number for the state.  This is less than 1% of the peak number of 12,089 on Dec 4th.  That number was for Sunday, which is normally a low number, but still it feels good to see the virus in rapid decline. 

As of 6/28 all quarantine restrictions have been lifted in the state.  So if you are vaccinated, go out and enjoy life.

As of 6/29, 8 million or 62%, of Pennsylvania is partially or fully vaccinated.  The average number of new cases has been declining for months, and is currently at 179 per day.  This also has been stable for about 2 weeks.

As of 6/29, 14.6 million or 48% of Texas is partially or fully vaccinated.  Texas's population 2.5 is times greater than PA, and lifted quarantine restrictions in March, has an average daily count of  new cases stabilized at 1,200 for the last 5 weeks.

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Someone asked if I could do a number of infections by square mile.  I think he took umbridge with me declaring Missouri being the current most infected state in the union by population:

District Of Columbia     3.26  (infections per sq mile)
Connecticut     0.57
Louisiana     0.40
New Jersey     0.38
California     0.21
New York     0.19
Delaware     0.16
Mississippi     0.14
Missouri     0.14
South Carolina     0.13
Pennsylvania     0.12
North Carolina     0.12
Arkansas     0.12
Rhode Island     0.12
Washington     0.10
Illinois     0.10
Massachusetts     0.09
Indiana     0.08
Arizona     0.08
Texas     0.08

Since then, Missouri has declined, from .30% to .15%, AND a number of states have increased in the number of active cases.  Wyoming (vaccination rate 39%) and Louisiana (vaccination rate 37%) now are at .57% and .45% per sq mile respectively.

And while that is not a good thing, All states have pulled back dramatically from the peak days of January.  Wyoming by 80% and Louisiana by some 90%. 
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On Myocarditis

The vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna have been linked to cases of Myocarditis in young adults.  The numbers are 12 in 1,000,000, with 9 out of 10 being considered mild and treatable.