By K E Stone (Keystone)
Coronavirus Chronology Article 50 is a surprise. It was not
planned or expected 1-1/2 years ago when the pandemic saga started, but here we
are 50 articles later. The US is battling wave 5 of the once in a century
pandemic with over 93% of the current US infections the India B1617 variant
(delta).
“The pandemic is not over until it is over everywhere.” This
often-repeated pandemic mantra is proven true. The United States had the
pandemic beat after wave 4. Herd immunity, the combination of vaccine immunity
and natural immunity, was kicking-in and the cases were trending lower. The CDC
relaxed mask guidelines for vaccinated people on 5/13/21.
However, India was hit with a horrific wave that spawned the
B1617 variants and mutations now wreaking havoc around the world. All global
nations must hang together to defeat the virus, otherwise, to paraphrase Ben
Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, we will all
hang separately.
The CDC hospitalization data indicates that the US remains
far below its peak at the start of the year, however, two states, Florida and
Louisiana, are at the highest hospitalizations of the entire pandemic. The
hospital admissions and hospitalizations charts are shown under the ‘HealthCare Settings’ tab on the CDC website. Use the drop-down menu to access the
individual US state charts.
Another 10 states, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri,
Oklahoma, Kansas, Kentucky, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and Hawaii, are experiencing
surging hospitalizations and may be heading towards the highest numbers ever in
a couple weeks. Four more states, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and
Washington are also seeing caseloads rise substantively in recent days. That is
16 states of concern with healthcare workers pushed to the breaking point.
Florida’s hospitalization chart is shown above. Louisiana’schart looks the same. Ugliness. Sympathy, positive energy and good vibes are
sent to the healthcare workers getting pounded and slapped around daily. Discussing
Florida hospitals, Dr Aileen Marty proclaims, “Our children’s hospitals are
completely overrun.”
The political pandemic continues. Democrat President Biden
and Florida republican Governor DeSantis are feuding, tossing baby insults and
blame on each other, touting their tribal narratives, as Floridians become
sicker each day.
Damn. If you click on the hospital admission chart forFlorida on the CDC website, the admissions are spiking to the highest ever.
Admissions obviously lead hospitalizations so the charts continue higher. The
CDC data and charts are 2 or 3 days behind, so one glimmer of hope is that the hospital
admissions may have improved over the last 3 days.
There is no excuse, in this technological age, for the CDC
to not update the data and charts in real-time. Worldometer does a good job at remaining
in a 24-hour window with the data and charts. Why can’t the CDC? Perhaps the
officials at the CDC do have the real-time data and charts available but they
delay the offerings to the public by 3 days to provide time to get their
stories and narratives straight?
The US hospitalizations chart is shown above. There are 50K
hospitalizations currently and 125K at the peak so hospitals, in the broad
sense nationwide, are operating at about 40% of the peak in January. The US
chart does not distinguish between the record-setting hospitalizations in
Florida and Louisiana versus the hospital inactivity in the northeast US
states.
The number of US hospital admissions spike to another high,
the chart is shown on the CDC website, so US hospitalizations would be expected
to continue rising (although keep in mind the data is 3 days old). It may be a
data error, but the hospital admissions for Washington state sky rocket to huge
levels. If it is not a data error, Washington, and likely its neighbor Oregon,
face serious trouble going forward. The port cities of the US and the world are
carriers and facilitators of the virus spread and pandemic.
The US daily new cases chart is shown above. Are you sitting
down? The US reports 131K daily new cases yesterday, Friday, 8/6/21, a punch to
the face. The 131K cases are the highest of the current wave and remember cases
lead hospitalizations lead deaths although the pandemic is far less deadly now
with the vaccinations. The 7-day MA sadly points skyward at 105K cases so for
starters, the cases need to be below 105K to pull the moving average lower.
The US wave 5 is ugly with the daily cases going parabolic
but the hope remains that America will follow the path of the UK, Spain,
Portugal, Netherlands, and other nations, where the spike in cases is fast and
terrible, but then a peak occurs and cases quickly retreat. The US is in bad
shape because the daily cases for the current wave 5 are only second to the
horrific wave 3 from November through February.
The US active cases chart is shown above and since the daily
new cases continue to refuse to peak, the flattening and rolling over of the
active cases curve will keep getting pushed forward. As per the Keystone Model,
explained below, the peak and flattening of the US active cases chart, which
represents the maximum stress on the healthcare system, is slated for 9/3/21.
The US Labor Day holiday is Monday, 9/6/21. There was huge
hope at the start of the year that the pandemic would be resolved by Labor Day
but instead Uncle Sam is holding a bag of covid sh*t. Such is Our Destiny. The
US healthcare workers are screwed as the chart shows. If the daily cases
quickly roll over, the active cases may peak and roll over in the back half of
the month but do not hold your breath. Currently, all the great nurses and doctors
should not make vacation plans until late September and beyond.
Some healthcare workers are frustrated that the vaccines are
available but millions of people, including their own colleagues, are not
rolling up their sleeves. From a nurse’s perspective, they deal with the
COVID-19 patients daily, the pain and misery, the slow suffocation, the
intubations, and it gets old after 1-1/2 years. The stress and up and down
emotions go with the job as all these professionals know too well.
One minute is a glorious high when a patient is being
released from the hospital after beating the covid dragon but alas, the next
minute you are pushing a lifeless body, covered with a sheet, to the elevator
while searching for the right words to tell the family that is still hoping for
a miracle. Such are the daily struggles during a once in a century pandemic.
The US deaths chart is shown above. More bad news. 750
Americans croak from covid yesterday the deadliest day in 3 months. The 7-day
MA is trending higher at 486 deaths losing that beautiful 5-month downtrend. The
deaths were the lowest since the start of the pandemic only one month ago. The
Grim Reaper is swinging his covid scythe claiming bodies for wave 5.
The deaths are nowhere near levels seen at the height of the
pandemic in January at the end of President Trump’s term, but nonetheless, the
hopes and dreams of 750 American families are crushed into dust yesterday.
Worldometer’s US death count is at 632,456. Johns-Hopkins is616,493 deaths. The CDC is at 613,658 deaths. The Institute for Health Metricsand Evaluation (IHME) are at 611,705 deaths. Worldometer is always the most up
to date data so the others will venture to 632K in the days ahead. The IHME
also provides an ‘excess’ death toll projected at 946K which takes into account
many different variables as explained on its website. All Americans know
someone that has perished from the China Virus. These are trying times.
The vaccination parade continues with Sleepy Joe Biden the
master of ceremonies. Biden pounds the vaccination message day after day so he
does deserve high marks for persistence. Disappointingly, the CDC and
Whitehouse task force may have been feeding Americans a line of bull sh*t the
other day.
Zients, using CDC data, proclaimed that 864K shots were
given within a 24-hour period but the CDC’s website continues to not provideupdated information in the vaccination rate chart. A 7-day average of 557K
shots per day remains at play but there is no individual data that supports the
864K number. Oh what a tangled web we weave. Something smells and it is not
Keystone after a night of burritos.
The Florida daily new cases and death charts are shown
above. There is a dark covid cloud above the Sunshine State. Florida reports
23K daily new cases yesterday the most of the entire pandemic. Governor
DeSantis tied himself to the anti-mandate and anti-mask mast and remains
defiant choosing to trade barbs with Biden as 199 Floridians die yesterday.
This pop in dead bodies is going to be the topic of discussion
at the bingo halls, senior centers and doctor’s waiting rooms. There are only about 25 other days that were
deadlier than yesterday in Florida during the entire pandemic. DeSantis is in
the basement of the governor’s mansion hiding behind the Peloton that he uses as
a clothes hanger.
The Texas daily cases chart is shown above. Texas reports
nearly 16K daily new cases the highest of the current wave and most since early
February. The migrant crisis at the US southern border is adding to the spike
in COVID-19 cases in Texas and other states. This chaos and worsening of the
pandemic are occurring on Sleepy Joe Biden’s watch. Also, the China Flu spreads
north through Central America into Mexico and now Texas, New Mexico, Arizona
and southern California. It is a double-whammy of coronavirus misery.
The Mexico daily new cases chart is shown above. Mexico
reports 21.6K cases call it 22K only surpassed by one other day, 1/22/21, at
22,339 daily cases. What a shame. Mexico is the covid freight train coming at Texas
full force. A chaotic covid nightmare descends on the southern US states.
Tragically, Mexicans are dropping like flies. 618 Mexicans die yesterday the
deadliest day of the current wave and most deaths since February.
The Louisiana daily cases chart is shown above. Florida and
Louisiana are at record-setting hospitalizations with healthcare workers and
facilities stretched to the breaking point. It is Lousy-ana but there are
hopeful signs. The daily cases have peaked, hopefully, with 2 days printing the
most cases ever. The 7-day MA trend line for daily new cases for Louisiana is
moving sideways and currently prints a slightly lower high which is fantastic
if it holds.
The 7-day MA for Louisiana’s daily cases is at 4.6K so cases
need to stay below this number but yesterday, Friday, is one of the record
highs at 6.1K cases. The weekend data should be sub 4.6K numbers so
Louisianians need to keep their chin’s up. Hopefully, cases will roll over
lower into a sharp decline mimicking the patterns seen in the UK, Spain,
Netherlands and other nations. It would also forecast the pattern to expect in
other US states. If you visit Naahhh Awwleans (New Orleans), say high to Aunt
Mable, and if you are nice to her, and give her a kiss, she will feed you some
gumbo.
Malaysia’s daily new cases chart is shown above and it is
sad to check each day and never see the cases moving lower. It is human tragedy
on an epic scale. Indonesia is recovering, although still knee-deep in trouble,
but if the demands on oxygen and other supplies are waning, ship the stuff to
your neighbors in Malaysia and Thailand, the epicenter of the global pandemic.
Malaysia reports 21K daily new cases the most ever. The
broken record continues. It has to peak out but each day the misery worsens.
257 Malaysians died on Wednesday the deadliest day ever.
Thailand’s daily new cases chart is shown above printing
another record high at 21.4K cases yesterday. The misery does not end. 191
Thai’s die yesterday the deadliest day of the pandemic. Only 6% of Thailand is
vaccinated. The tourism industry is Thailand’s bread and butter that is now
moldy and melted, respectively.
The Thai people take to the streets to protest against the
government’s handling of the pandemic but they are met with tear gas and rubber
bullets. That will teach them. People need oxygen, PPE supplies and better
vaccines (than the Chinese-made Sinopharm and Sinovac), not sprayed in the face
with tear gas, welted by rubber bullets and beaten with batons.
Israel’s daily new cases chart is shown above with a new
high in daily cases at 4.4K for the current wave. The Delta variant is
overpowering Israel’s stellar vaccination program. A lot of the countries
idolized last year for the way they handled the pandemic are in shambles this
year including Japan, South Korea and Australia.
Israel has one of the best vaccine distribution plans on the
planet and it was executed in a professional manner with cases and deaths
falling off the chart in May. Every day was a celebration. The public danced
Hava Nagila in the streets thinking the pandemic was behind them. But, as the
chart shows above, the India B1617 variant (delta) raises its ugly head taking
Israel to the mat. Israel is giving booster shots to citizens over 60 years
old, especially those in frail condition, as long as it is 5 months beyond the
last shot.
The Netherlands daily new cases chart is shown above and its
horrific rocket launch for the current wave. That was frightening as it
occurred in real-time but then whammo, the virus hit its head on that 10K-11K
cases celling and came straight back down just as fast. This behavior is
similar for the UK, Spain, Portugal and other nations smacked by the Delta
variant. Hopefully, this pattern will occur in Louisiana, USA (see chart
above), and light the way for other US states and America as a whole. The
interesting thing about the sharp up and down pattern is that you do not have
to wait long to see what happens. We will know the result in Louisiana probably
this week and in the US over the next couple weeks, maybe three.
The USA has the greatest number of total coronavirus cases
in the world at 36.4 million. India is next with 31.9 million total virus cases.
Brazil, Russia, France, UK, Turkey, Argentina, Colombia and Spain round out the
top ten.
China Flu has infected 202.6 million people worldwide. 4.3
million people have died from COVID-19. Fortunately, 182.0 million global
citizens have recovered from coronavirus. 90% (182.0/202.6) of the people that
become infected with COVID-19 recover in a reasonable time frame. This
percentage had improved by about 7 points during May and June but now drops off
from the 92% level to 90% over the last 6 weeks. The 91% to 92% area is a
ceiling for the global recovery percentage.
Worldwide, 2.1% (4.3/202.6) of the people that are infected
with covid die. This number has sat at 2.1%-2.2% for many months. 1 in every 47
people that are infected with China Flu around the world will die, and this
number does not budge week after week month after month. It is always 2.1%-2.2%
and will not change even with vaccinations available for a half year. The
global mortality rate is at an impasse for months. It will be a great day if it
ever decreases.
2.6% (202.6/7670) of the world’s population of 7.67 billion
people have been infected with coronavirus; 1 in every 38 people on earth. The Wuhan
Virus has negatively impacted everyone on the planet.
In the United States, 36.4 million people are infected with covid.
632.6K Americans are dead. 29.8 million Americans have recovered from coronavirus.
This equates to 82% (29.8/36.4) of US citizens recovering after becoming
infected with COVID-19. The number increases by about 6 percentage points during
May and June but drops 2 percentage points over the last 6 weeks. Like the
world’s recovery rate above, the US recovery rate may have met its ceiling at
about 84%. The US recovery rate is lower than the world’s because of America’s obesity
problem.
In the US, 1.7% (632.6/36400) of the people infected with COVID-19
die. This number remains sticky for many months at 1.8% so it is great that it
drops to 1.7. Perhaps the goodness from the vaccinations is finally kicking
into gear after a half year and the death rate may sneak lower.
The 1.7% equates to 1 in every 58 US citizens that are
infected with coronavirus dying. The death rate is at 2.1% globally which is
higher than the US reflecting the lower vaccination rates, less medical
equipment such as ventilators and oxygen tanks, less hospitals and less medical
folks to work at the facilities. Poorer nations also battle subpar environmental
and living conditions.
11.0% (36.4/330) of the American population of 330 million
people have been infected with covid a jump of +0.3% over the last 11 days. 1
in every 9 Americans have been stricken with coronavirus which worsens slightly
over the last week. The minority communities are impacted disproportionately.
The 11% solidly contributes towards herd immunity.
The United States has 18.0% (36.4/202.6) of the COVID-19
cases in the world. 1 in 5 people (5.6 to be exact which is 2 in 11) that
become infected with covid on planet earth are Americans. The US vaccination
program is making a difference. This percentage was 22% about 4 months ago so
the drop is great news for the US but bad news for other nations since their
infection numbers are higher.
The US accounts for 14.7% (632.6/4300) of the China Flu
deaths in the world. The trend lower improves by 0.3% over the last 11 days. 1
in 7 people that die from COVID-19 around the world are Americans. Three months
ago, it was 1 in 5. The numbers are going in the right direction for the US but
that means proportionally more people are dying in Southeast Asia, Africa and
Central America.
The Keystone Speculator Coronavirus Infection Rate Model,
the Keystone Model for short, is a simple model that predicts when the active
cases chart curves will flatten-out and roll-over lower. The active cases chart
represents the maximum stress and strain on the medical system and healthcare
workers. Once the bell curve forms with active cases dropping dramatically, the
virus will be defeated, and healthcare workers can breathe easier.
The Keystone Model uses the peak in the new cases to
forecast the peak and flattening of the active cases curve. The ‘flattening of
the curve’ only pertains to the active cases chart. For authoritarian and
communist nations where the populations must do what they are told or they
receive a bullet in their heads, and for smaller nations, and many Asian
nations where citizens follow government rules without questioning authority, the
active cases curve will peak, on average, 11 days after the peak in new cases.
China, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Australia are in
this group although their recent track records are abysmal. Several Middle East
nations are under authoritarian rule and the peaks in the new cases are quickly
followed by the peak in the active cases chart.
For the Western countries, such as the US and European
nations, the so-called free societies, the active cases curve will peak, on
average, 28 days after the peak in new cases (it takes 17 days longer, about 2
weeks longer, for a free society to tamp down a virus wave than a communist or
authoritarian state).
During the last few months, the 11 and 28-day timeframes
compress slightly since more is known about handling coronavirus. Thus, a
couple days can be shaved off the current target dates. Further, the
characteristics of the current Delta wave is its quick assault, and then
equally-fast retreat, so the top in the active cases may occur a few days
before the projected date. The Keystone Model will not change its methodology since
it needs to be consistent the whole way through the pandemic in its approach
(to keep a stable data set).
The Keystone Model has a great track record over the last
year in predicting when the active cases curve flattens and the bell shape
appears ringing-in the end to the pandemic. Healthcare workers cannot catch a
break until the active cases curve flattens and rolls-over forming the bell
shape. That is when the patient load substantially declines.
The peak in the daily new cases is easily identified by the
bar charts provided by Worldometer, the CDC and Johns-Hopkins. You see these
daily new cases bar charts on television news channels. The bar charts typically
show the 7-day moving average (MA) line which is a smoothing mechanism that
helps identify the trend.
The Keystone Model considers any subsequent high number of
daily new cases occurring after the peak high to be the new peak high day, if
it is within 8% of the peak high on the bar chart. Is that clear as mud? If the
daily new cases are within 8% of the peak high, that day becomes the peak new
case date from which the 11 or 28-day period begins. This is why the daily new
case peak dates in the lists below may be a few days after the peak high that
you see in the bar chart.
An update for The Keystone Model is provided since another
10-day period passes, actually 11 days this time, and more data and information
become available to push the COVID-19 story forward. The Coronavirus Chronology
identifies the real-time hotspots occurring around the world and within the
United States. The chronology serves as a historical document that will be
referenced for decades to come by those that want to experience the entire
pandemic as it unfolds in real-time.
The Coronavirus Chronology compilation of articles will be
published in the future by Amazon and distributed internationally. This is
Article 50 in the Coronavirus Chronology that provides real-time information for
historians, teachers, students, journalists, economists, market participants, corporate
executives, financial managers, Wall Street, doctors, nurses, medical personnel,
first responders, researchers, public officials, news organizations, traders,
investors and politicians studying the COVID-19 pandemic both domestically
(USA) and internationally. This fiftieth article, the 50th, is published on Saturday,
8/7/21. When will this pandemic end?
The coronavirus series of articles are the only real-time
source of information available continuously chronicling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
during 2020 and 2021. Readers live and breathe the pandemic, the worst in a century,
as it occurs in real-time, experiencing the daily virus zeitgeist, good or bad,
devoid of political correctness. This is not revisionist history-telling. It is
the raw pandemic truth and human emotion occurring, recorded and chronicled in
real time, without any allegiance to political parties or media sources. The
information is direct and unapologetic.
All 50 Coronavirus Chronology articles are archived on The
Keystone Speculator blog. The last three articles are linked below if you want
to come up to speed with the COVID-19 saga.
The forty-seventh article is the Coronavirus (COVID-19)Chronology Article 47 Published 7/6/21; CHINA FLU KILLS OVER 4,000,000 (4MILLION) PEOPLE; World Begins Wave 5; Jury is Out on United States Wave 5;Worst US States Are Missouri, Oklahoma, Utah, Arkansas, Kansas, Nevada,Alabama, Louisiana, Washington and Hawaii; Worrisome US States Include Alaska,Indiana, Florida, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio and California; Worst CountriesAre UK, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Russia,Algeria, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Spain, Portugal, Honduras and Mexico; UK PM BorisJohnson Rolls the Covid Dice; Israeli Study Says Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine LessEffective Against India B1617 Variant (Delta); Russia, Bangladesh, Indonesia,Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Cuba Reporting Deadliest Days of thePandemic; US Wave 5 Confirmed; US Vaccination Rate Drops Off Cliff; EuroFootball Games Are Superspreader Events
The forty-eighth article is the Coronavirus (COVID-19)Chronology Article 48 Published 7/17/21; United States is a “Pandemic of theUnvaccinated (in the Least-Vaccinated States)”; Coronavirus Cases Rising in All50 US States as Wave 5 Continues; Vaccine Shaming, Blaming and Mandating;Community Transmission; Tokyo Olympics Begin; Over 190 Million People Infectedwith China Flu Worldwide with 4.1 Million Deaths; Worst Global Hotspots IncludeSoutheast Asia, Southern Africa, Europe and Northern Africa, Russia andKazakhstan, and Mexico and Central America; Visiting Texas Democrats TurnWhitehouse Into Covid-Infected Nest; Senator Rand Paul and Dr Anthony FauciBattle Over Wuhan Lab Leak Theory and Gain of Function Research; California,Florida and Texas Account for Over 40% of US Cases; Israeli Health ministrySays Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine Only 39% Effective Against India B1617 Variant(Delta): Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Russia and KazakhstanReport Deadliest Days Ever; Vaccinated Blame Unvaccinated for US Wave 5Acceleration; Health Misinformation Act; New UK B1621 Variant Identified;“Pingdemic”; Biden Mandates Vaccines on Veterans Administration
The forty-ninth article is the Coronavirus (COVID-19)Chronology Article 49 Published 7/27/21; US Wave 5 in Progress; CommunityTransmission Continues in Most US States; 627K Americans Dead from China Flu;CDC Reverses Course Reimposing Indoor Mask Mandate on Vaccinated People thatMay Be Spreading Virus; Over 195 Million People Infected with China FluWorldwide with 4.2 Million Deaths; Worst Trouble Spots Include Southeast Asia,Central America and Mexico, Middle East, Russia and Kazakhstan, and NorthernAfrica; Tokyo Olympics; Big US Tech Companies Mandate Vaccines; President BidenMandates Vaccines for Federal Employees and Offers $100 for Vaccinations;Florida Governor DeSantis Denounces “Faucian Dystopia”; CDC Proclaims “The WarHas Changed”; Lollapalooza; Sturgis Motorcycle Rally; Indonesia, Malaysia,Thailand and Bangladesh Report Deadliest Days Ever; Biden Achieves Goal of 70%of US Adults Vaccinated; Over 200 Million Worldwide Sickened by Wuhan Virus; USExceeds 36 Million Total Cases and 630K Deaths; US Wave 5 Exceeding 100K CasesPer Day
The Worldometer web site tracks the coronavirus (COVID-19) around
the world and its link is provided. Many charts in the coronavirus series of
articles are provided courtesy of Worldometer and annotated by Keystone. The
CDC COVID Data Tracker is another excellent source of information. The
Worldometer, Johns-Hopkins and CDC data track each other well with the
Worldometer data ahead of the Johns-Hopkins and CDC data by a few days. The
Worldometer data is far superior for forecasting since it is updated more
reliably in real-time.
The countries with rising active cases charts are
highlighted below with the worst nations at the bottom. Sadly, the United
States is back on the bad list as daily cases rise over 130K per day. The peaks
in daily new cases are shown and the projected peaks for active cases are based
on the Keystone Model. The peak and flattening of the active cases curve represent
the maximum stress on healthcare workers and then the caseload improves as the
active cases drop.
The pandemic is not under control until the active cases
curve flattens and rolls over forming the bell shape. It will take longer for
the active cases chart to roll over to form the bell shape for those troubled
nations at the bottom of the list (they are still experiencing highs and peaks
in their daily new cases).
DRC-Congo (Third Wave)
6/19/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
new cases ever)
7/17/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 28 days) (chart continues higher)
Spain (Fifth Wave)
7/13/21 New Case Peak Date
(highest cases of wave 5)
8/10/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (changed to 28 days)
UK (Fourth Wave)
7/17/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
cases for wave 4)
8/14/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 28 days)
France (Fifth Wave)
7/24/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
cases for wave 5)
8/21/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 28 days)
Russia (Third Wave)
7/25/21 New Case Peak Date
(highest new cases of wave 3 during July)
8/5/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days) (curve continues higher)
South Korea (Third Wave)
7/28/21 New Case Peak Date
(highest new cases ever)
8/8/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Algeria (Fifth Wave)
7/28/21 New Case Peak Date
(highest new cases ever)
8/8/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Honduras (Continuous Wave Higher)
7/31/21 New Case Peak Date
(highest cases ever)
8/28/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 28 days)
Vietnam (Fourth Wave)
8/1/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
daily cases ever)
8/12/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Libya (Fifth Wave)
8/1/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
new cases ever)
8/12/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Greece (Fifth Wave)
8/3/21 New Case Peak Date
8/14/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days) (flattening, trying to roll over)
Canada (Fourth Wave)
8/3/21 New Case Peak Date
8/14/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Cuba (Fourth Wave)
8/4/21 New Case Peak Date
8/15/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Iraq (Third Wave)
8/4/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
new cases ever)
8/15/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Turkey (Fourth Wave)
8/4/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
new cases for wave 4)
8/15/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Pakistan (Fourth Wave)
8/5/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
new cases for wave 4)
8/16/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Iceland (Sixth Wave)
8/5/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
cases of wave 6)
8/16/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Guatemala (Fifth Wave)
8/5/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
new cases ever 8/4 and 8/5/21)
8/16/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Israel (Fifth Wave)
8/5/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
new cases for wave 5)
8/16/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Iran (Sixth Wave)
8/5/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
new cases ever)
8/16/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Italy (Fifth Wave)
8/5/21 New Case Peak Date
9/2/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 28 days)
Morocco (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
new cases ever)
8/17/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Australia (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
8/17/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Japan (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
new cases ever as Olympics ends)
8/17/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Kazakhstan (Seventh Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
new cases ever over last 2 weeks)
8/17/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Thailand (Fourth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
cases ever)
8/17/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Malaysia (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
cases ever)
8/17/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Philippines (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
cases for wave 5)
8/17/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Germany (Fourth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
8/17/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 11 days)
Ireland (Fourth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
cases for wave 4)
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 28 days)
Mexico (Third Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
cases for wave 3 almost of entire pandemic)
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 28 days)
United States (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
cases for wave 5)
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date (based on 28 days)
Germany is added to the bad list as daily cases rise and the
active cases curve moves higher. Philippines is also added to the bad list. The
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand cluster must be infecting the Philippines. The
Philippines may develop into a major trouble spot over the next couple weeks.
Zimbabwe and Indonesia are taken off the bad list. Both
nations continue to battle covid and they are winning with the active cases
dropping. Ditto Portugal, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Mozambique. Spain crosses the 82K deaths grim milestone.
Japan crosses the 1 million total cases milestone and could
not have worse luck for the Olympics. Daily cases are the highest ever during
the Games above 15K, but the proud, segregated nation manages through it. Tokyo
reports 4.5K cases one-third of the country’s total yesterday. Tokyo reports 4
days of over 4K per day cases.
Panama is taken off the bad list which is a positive
development for the battered Central America region, however, Guatemala and
Honduras remain in bad shape. Canada is also added to the bad list with those
Canucks up there partying and spreading virus every day.
The US and Mexico are a hot zone. Ditto Malaysia and
Thailand the epicenter of the global pandemic and Southeast Asia poster boys.
Ireland may be a surprise to people but things are not going well there. It
would be a tragedy if the beer and liquor were limited or shutoff at the pubs. An
Irishman knows no other worse fate.
Kazakhstan remains in bad shape for several weeks perhaps
infecting China. Russia has already infected China. A Ruskie flew into China
bringing the Wuhan Virus back home from whence it came. China will be
interesting in the days and weeks ahead as they face the most serious outbreak
of the pandemic.
Australia is dealing with its new outbreak during the winter
season Down Under. Iran and Iraq are a mess with infected people everywhere.
Israel worsens. Lebanon is in bad shape. Northern Africa remains challenged.
Morocco is in bad shape.
South Africa has to be watched because it was improving but
the active cases are now flattening rather than dropping. Ukraine may be
hinting at future trouble also. Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Nepal,
Guinea and Costa Rica will likely worsen this week. Greece started to improve
but remains challenged.
The next list is the US states struggling with coronavirus
with the worst states listed at the bottom. The peak in daily new cases and
projections for the peaks in active cases are provided as per the Keystone
Model. The flattening and roll over of the active cases curve forming the bell
shape indicates the virus is being defeated and the caseload on healthcare
workers will quickly improve.
Florida and Louisiana hospitals are over capacity. Mexico’s
infections are rippling into Texas and the southern states. The migrant crisis
is making the US wave 5 worse. The republican media (Fox News, Newsmax, OANN,
Breitbart, AM talk radio and New York Post) is correct on this issue so you
will not hear this truism uttered on the democrat media (CNN, MSNBC, broadcast
channels ABC, CBS and NBC, also NPR and PBS, and the New York Times and
Washington Post).
Louisiana (Fourth Wave)
7/27/21 New Case Peak Date
8/24/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Utah (Fifth Wave)
7/30/21 New Case Peak Date
8/27/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Wyoming (Fifth Wave)
8/3/21 New Case Peak Date
8/31/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Connecticut (Fourth Wave)
8/3/21 New Case Peak Date
8/31/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Maine (Second Wave/Continuous)
8/3/21 New Case Peak Date
8/31/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Oregon (Fifth Wave)
8/3/21 New Case Peak Date
8/31/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Alabama (Fifth Wave)
8/3/21 New Case Peak Date
8/31/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Georgia (Fifth Wave)
8/3/21 New Case Peak Date
8/31/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Minnesota (Fifth Wave)
8/3/21 New Case Peak Date
8/31/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Montana (Fifth Wave)
8/3/21 New Case Peak Date
8/31/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Iowa (Fifth Wave)
8/3/21 New Case Peak Date
8/31/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Ohio (Fifth Wave)
8/4/21 New Case Peak Date
9/1/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Missouri (Fifth Wave)
8/4/21 New Case Peak Date
9/1/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Kansas (Fifth Wave)
8/4/21 New Case Peak Date
9/1/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Washington (Fifth Wave/Continuous)
8/5/21 New Case Peak Date
9/2/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Idaho (Fourth Wave/Continuous)
8/5/21 New Case Peak Date
9/2/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Mississippi (Fifth Wave)
8/5/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
cases for wave 5)
9/2/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Alaska (Fifth Wave)
8/5/21 New Case Peak Date
9/2/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Pennsylvania (Fifth Wave)
8/5/21 New Case Peak Date
9/2/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Wisconsin (Fifth Wave)
8/5/21 New Case Peak Date
9/2/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
New Mexico
(Fifth Wave)
8/5/21
New Case Peak Date
9/2/21
Projected Active Case Peak Date
New
Hampshire (Fifth Wave)
8/5/21
New Case Peak Date
9/2/21
Projected Active Case Peak Date
Illinois
(Fifth Wave)
8/6/21
New Case Peak Date
9/3/21
Projected Active Case Peak Date
West Virginia (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Vermont (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Nevada (Fourth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
California (Fourth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Texas (Fourth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Florida (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date (highest
cases ever)
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Arkansas (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Nebraska (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Rhode Island (Fourth
Wave/Continuous)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Kentucky (Continuous Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Virginia (Continuous Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
North Carolina (Fourth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Tennessee (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Oklahoma
(Fifth Wave)
8/6/21
New Case Peak Date
9/3/21
Projected Active Case Peak Date
Hawaii (Fifth Wave/Continuous)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Maryland (Continuous Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
South Carolina (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Delaware (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
New York (Fourth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
New Jersey (Fourth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Michigan (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Arizona (Fourth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Indiana (Fifth Wave)
8/6/21 New Case Peak Date
9/3/21 Projected Active Case Peak
Date
Oh my. Looking at this data in real-time is jaw-dropping. It
produces angina. Where are those nitroglycerin tablets. The United States wave
5 has gone to Hell in a handbag to use an old expression. The US states are
riding a Highway to covid Hell as AC/DC sings. The deterioration in the US
pandemic in the last couple days is astounding. The wheels just fell off
America’s cart. Wave 5 is spinning out of control.
46 US states are on the bad list above. Smack. Uncle Sam is
getting beaten with a covid stick. Only 4 states have flattish active cases
curves and daily cases remain somewhat in check; Massachusetts, Colorado, and
North and South Dakota. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has started and will run
for the next couple weeks so South Dakota may end up on the bad list if the
event is a superspreader.
The US fell off a cliff over the last couple days. Wave 5 is
a tricky bugger. It hints that it wants to pull back and then the daily cases
will spike higher. Wave 5 jukes when you think it’s going to jive. August is
going to suck for America and especially the healthcare workers.
Nevada crosses the grim 6K deaths milestone. Wisconsin
crosses the 8.3K deaths grim milestone. Arkansas crosses the 400 million total
cases milestone. Article 50 was proceeding swimmingly but the US data and
charts are quite stunning and change the mood. Virus is spreading and daily
cases, and active cases, are increasing in 46 of the 50 states. This is not
good. It is the worst news in many weeks.
President Biden is considering withholding federal funds to
universities, long-term care facilities and even cruise ships to encourage
vaccinations. This vaccination stuff is out of control. It is as if the
Whitehouse, Biden and the CDC are beholding to Big Pharma.
There is a big controversy over administering booster shots
in the US before much of the undeveloped world has their first shots. That does
not bother Israel that has a booster shot program off and running. The UK, too.
Biden takes the approach that both can be done by the US.
Instead of brow-beating Americans that do not plan to get
vaccinated, give the vaccine to other countries. The never-ending vaccine
diatribe from Biden has a scary feel to it. Surely, he would not mandate
vaccines, would he? Biden is mandating vaccines for federal employees so he is
no stranger to flip-flopping.
Even if someone takes a vaccine now, there is a 3 to 4 week
period between shots, and then another 2-week period after the second shot, 6
weeks in all from the first shot, when you would be fully protected by the
vaccine. By then, Delta will be waving bye-bye.
Another disturbing aspect is that studies are showing that a
10-week period between mRNA shots is shaping-up to be a sweet spot to get the
maximum benefit of the vaccines. Your doctor can instruct you on how to
proceed.
It is a disservice to Americans that the medical people have
not promoted vitamins and supplements to boost the immune system. Vitamins A, C, E, and D-3, along with zinc, selenium and turmeric, will keep a human’s immune
system in tip-top shape. Check with doc but she or he will tell you these
offerings are cool. Every American should be taking turmeric daily.
There is also the hydroxychloroquine drama ongoing for 1-1/2
years. Oh Lordy, Lordy. He said the HCQ word. Oh my. Release the hounds! Beat
him with a rubber hose. He dared say the word hydroxychloroquine. How dare he!
There must be repercussions.
The chronology has cleared-up the controversy on
hydroxychloroquine in prior articles. The studies show that HCQ is an effective
treatment if taken as a preventive measure and on the early onset of a virus
infection. HCQ, however, is worthless if the virus progresses and you become
very sick; it is useless.
Both the republican and democrat media’s play their baby
political games. The right, led by Fox News, will tout HCQ as the best thing
since sliced bread but they are only telling you one-half the story. The
studies that say HCQ is not helpful after the disease sets-in are ignored.
Conversely, the left, led by CNN and MSNBC, will say HCQ is the most dangerous
substance on earth, and like the other corrupt tribe, are not telling the whole
truth. The democrats prefer the HCQ studies that show it ineffective when the
disease has taken root while the republicans prefer the HCQ studies that show
it as an effective pretreatment and early onset treatment. Are you
understanding how the crony capitalism game is played?
And there is also ivermectin which is an effective treatment
for COVID-19 as per the medical studies and reports. How do you think the
nations in South America make it through their virus waves? They were not
sitting on the curb waiting for the vaccine wagon to come along like the
neighborhood ice cream man. Nor were they waiting to get sick and wonder if
they were going to die. Treatments like ivermectin saved hundreds of thousands
of lives around the world during the last 18 months.
The United States remain close-minded to any treatment
except vaccines. The Regeneron monoclonal antibodies is another effective
treatment if you become sick with COVID-19. Ask your doctor and the hospital
for Regeneron if you become very ill with coronavirus. They will shoot you up
intravenously and the next day you will feel great.
The US medical folks in charge do not recognize simple and
effective COVID-19 treatments probably because the vaccines would have never
received emergency approval. If there are other effective treatments available,
that may have at least delayed the vaccine process as the simple and cheap
solutions are immediately studied and implemented, but this did not happen.
The MATH+ protocol for treating COVID-19 is famous all overthe world but hidden from most American eyes. It is simply more good
information you can discuss with your doctor and other medical people as you
figure a path forward.
The pandemic guidelines and information are getting twisted
into knots daily. The organizations themselves provide conflicting or
nonsensical messages such as ‘get the shot, and wear a mask’. The idea behind
vaccinations was that you did not need to wear a mask. And the revelation last
week from the CDC that vaccinated people can act as virus carriers infecting
their children at home or unvaccinated people. Well, isn’t that special, as theChurch Lady would quip.
The mask debates are becoming heated because children are
returning to school. Some states have mandates against masks. Some schools are
ignoring mandates and setting their own mask policies. The teacher’s unions may
use the mask issue as an excuse to implement online learning that most parents
do not want. They want their kids back in school with their friends.
New Jersey democrat Governor Murphy mandates masks in
schools reversing his belief that mandates should not be imposed. Don’t you
love politicians? In other words, humorously, he voted against it before he
voted for it; a flip-flopper.
Interestingly, the United States has been using masks for
1-1/2 years and they never stopped any of the five virus waves. Television
doctors keep telling Americans to get vaccinated even if you had COVID-19 but
this is not good advice. Talk to your doctor because they may run an antibody
test. Some doctors advise patients to not get vaccinated if they have high
levels of natural protection.
Some of the vaccinated people have lost their mind and are
behaving like children yelling at unvaccinated people and blaming them for all
the problems in the world. As the CDC explained last week, the vaccinated
people, doing the complaining, may be virus carriers that are getting their own
young kids sick while blaming unvaccinated people. It is Animal Farm occurring
in real life.
Actress Jennifer Aniston cuts ties with people that are not
vaccinated. What childishness. It is like the 4-year old child that says,
“You’re not my friend anymore.” There is also a rumor that she said her sh*t
does not smell. Unvaccinated people
around her are better off since she may be asymptomatically carrying the virus.
Aniston torpedoes her ‘regular girl’ image. If you want to be friends with Jen,
get down on your knees, and roll up your sleeves.
Keystone remains unvaccinated but was ready to go into the
office to receive the first shot in his left buttock cheek. He is ambidextrous
and does not want a sore arm so the cheeks are the next logical place for the
shots. Keystone finally convinced Nurse Goodbody to agree to the shots in the
rear, she also consulted with Dr Ben Dover, so the date and time was set.
Nurse Goodbody is far smarter than Keystone. She scheduled
Nurse Ratched to administer the shot in Keystone’s keister. A deal was a deal
and Keystone was ready to comply but a power outage interrupted the day. Keystone
is rescheduling the shot but this time adding the demand that Nurse Goodbody
must administer the magical vaccine potion to his left cheek. Nurse Goodbody
also promised Keystone a new pair of Speedo’s if he would take the shot.
On a serious note, the suicide problem may be exposed as a
more serious threat to young life than coronavirus. Breitbart, which is the
republican media, publishes a not yet peer reviewed UK study that says five
times more children committed suicide than died of COVID-19 during the first
year of the lockdown. That is sad and tragic news. Even if the five times
number is a bit stretched; it remains horrible news. The pandemic is a
difficult and confusing subject for many people to openly discuss. The virus is
rarely fatal for children. Sometimes life involves balancing risks properly.
It would be terrible if President Biden tries to mandate
vaccines to the public. It would be stupid since serious social unrest, riots
and looting will occur. This is coming anyway as the class war begins in
America but there is no need to rush it along. Before mandating vaccines, the Whitehouse
and CDC should consider offering antibody tests to individuals.
Many Americans think they had covid and this is a reason
they do not want vaccinated but if you ask them if they saw a doctor, the
answer is usually no. Some unvaccinated Americans would probably go for an
antibody test. If the antibodies are not there, some will want the shot right
away. It will at least provide the medical folks an opportunity to give the
person a sales pitch to get vaccinated.
If the person has adequate protection with natural
immunities, the medical profession should not hassle the person and tell them
to get vaccinated anyway. This is a decision best made with their doctor since
they know the entire medical history. Natural immunity gets the country to herd
immunity just like the vaccines. The CDC is on record as being against
conducting antibody testing without a good reason.
Rumble, rumble, rumble. The ground shakes like the glass ofwater in the Jurassic Park movie. Here come the Harley-Davidson motorcycles
into Sturgis, South Dakota, for 2 weeks of wild parties and drunken bar-hopping.
Fights are guaranteed at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the event will likely
be a superspreader.
Article 50 is sent off to publication because
the wet tee shirt contest is about to start at the Full Throttle Bar in Sturgis.
Whoopie. Wheee. Maskless people are hoopin’ and a hollerin’ having a good time.
No one appears worried about coronavirus. The bikers are focused on more important
developments.
Note Added Sunday Morning, 8/8/21, at 4:00 AM EST: The US reports 69K daily new cases yesterday an expected lower number for the weekend and today's (Sunday) cases should be even lower. The data during the week will dictate America's path forward. The peak in daily new cases thus far is 131.5K cases on Friday. It will be great if the cases do not exceed 132K all this week. Hope springs eternal. The 7-day MA for US daily new cases is at 102K so it is key that the cases remain below 102K to pull that trend line lower. 320 Americans die from coronavirus yesterday an unwelcome elevated number for a Saturday. The 7-day MA trend line for US deaths is at 478 deaths and ramping higher. It remains shocking how fast the United States deteriorated over the last couple days. Florida is going to cross the 40K deaths grim milestone this week. The blue-haired gals at the bingo parlor are worried about the Delta variant wondering what Governor DeSantis will do. Oh no. The clock just fell off the wall in DeSantis's office. Florida reports 23.9K daily new cases for yesterday, a Saturday, 24K cases, the highest ever of the pandemic. The Johns-Hopkins data remains sub 20K daily cases so they will see the number jump higher over the next couple days. Florida is in deep trouble. The crazy spike higher in cases means the overtaxed hospitals in Florida are about to be completely overwhelmed this month. Arizona reports 2.8K daily new cases Friday and 2.7K yesterday so the scourge from Mexico continues working north.
Note Added Sunday Morning, 8/8/21, at 4:30 AM EST: Mexico reports 22K daily new cases for 2 days running teasing the highest cases of the entire pandemic. The China Flu marches north from Central America to North America. France's daily cases continue moving sideways but they need to move lower. The street protests grow larger each day maintaining infections in the population. The French are protesting the vaccine passports required to visit bars, restaurants and events. If you are a world traveler, you know to never stand in the way of a Frenchman and his wine, baguette and cigarettes. Italy's daily cases are also moving sideways for a few days. Italy has implemented the green pass that provides vaccinated citizens more privileges than unvaccinated people. Protests increase in the boot-shaped nation. The global Animal Farm experiment continues with world citizens splitting into the vaccinated and unvaccinated camps. Japan reports 15.6K daily new cases the highest ever as the Olympics closing ceremony begins. Congratulations to Japan for pulling the Games off; that was no small feat. 436 COVID-19 cases are linked to the Olympics. 29 athletes had their hopes and dreams dashed after testing positive for covid. That's the way it goes in life. The Olympics Village had 18K people from every nation on earth attending and there were about 50K people associated with the Olympics so the low number of covid cases are a success. Some athletes and their entourages were not following rules instead venturing out to sightsee creating headaches for the organizers. It served no purpose to postpone the Olympics and make the athletes wait for several more months, never knowing when or if they would compete. Japan had bad luck. If they would have held the Games during late June instead of early August, they would have been golden. Timing is everything in life.
Note Added Sunday Morning, 8/8/21, at 10:00 AM EST: NIH Director Collins appears on ABC (democrat media). The message is repetitive. "Get vaccinated." Collins proclaims, "I do believe they (vaccine mandates) can make a difference." He calls a mask a "medical life-saving device." Humorously, there is a bit of embellishment with that decree like the garbage man calling himself a sanitation engineer. Collins wants all students, teachers, custodians, workers and visitors to wear masks in schools. He says the FDA is working 24/7 to get full approval for vaccines within a month. Collins thinks more people will get vaccinated once the official approval is received for the vaccines currently administered under an emergency use decree. Collins is not asked about the Wuhan Lab leak theory as the origin of COVID-19 or about the funding of gain of function research occurring at the communist laboratories. Of course not. ABC is democrat media.
Note Added Sunday Morning, 8/8/21, at 10:30 AM EST: Lord Fauci appears on NBC (democrat media). The message is repetitive. "Get vaccinated." Fauci proclaims, "I'm very much in favor (of vaccine mandates for healthcare workers)." He decrees, "It is time to go the extra step (mandating vaccines)." Fauci declares, "Mandates at the local level need to be done." Fauci says 200K daily cases may occur in the United States and the world may face a more deadly variant in the future. He recommends booster shots for people with weakened immune systems and comorbidities. Fauci is not asked about the Wuhan Lab leak theory as the origin of COVID-19 or about the funding of gain of function research occurring at the communist laboratories. Of course not. NBC is democrat media.
Note Added Sunday Afternoon, 8/8/21: Georgia republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, a right-wing big mouth, causes controversy everywhere she goes. Her latest escapade is in Alabama when making a speech she tells the audience that they have the lowest vaccination rate in the country. The crowd cheers. That is a lot of sick thinker's gathered in the same room. You can have reasons for not being vaccinated but cheering a low vaccination statistic indicates a mental problem. Kentucky republican Senator Rand Paul, an outspoken critic of Fauci, releases a video message questioning vaccine and mask guidance. He tells Americans that "no one should follow" the CDC mask guidance. People do not listen to pandemic guidance anymore because 10 different talking heads tell you 15 different things.
Note Added Monday Morning, 8/9/21, at 3:30 AM EST: China reports about 100 new infections adding to the few hundred over the last week stretching across 12 provinces. The communists never tell the truth so it is hard to gauge the outbreak. China has the zero covid strategy in place where no cases is the goal. The West differs figuring that coronavirus will develop into a flu-like pathogen that will have to be handled with vaccinations. The Chinese vaccines are not as effective as the Western vaccines. The Beijing winter Olympics begins in six months. China is considering wider-scale lockdowns and more border closures. It will be hard for athletes to compete in Beijing if the border is closed. Southeast Asia remains the global epicenter of the pandemic. Malaysia finally catches a break with daily cases retreating for two days. If the daily cases have topped-out, which is likely if Malaysia follows Indonesia's lead, Malaysia's hospitals will continue seeing an influx of sick folks for a week or two and then that should peak (as long as the daily new cases have peaked on 8/6/21 at 20.9K). Tragically, 360 Malaysians die yesterday the deadliest day of the pandemic. Thailand's daily new cases pull back for one day so hopefully the cases are peaking-out. Thailand's deadliest day was Saturday when 212 souls met their fate. Vietnam reports 9.6K daily new cases the most of the pandemic right when it appeared to be turning the corner. Vietnam's deadliest day was last Thursday, 8/5/21, with 393 deaths, and only 8% of the population is vaccinated. Laos also remains in bad shape but Cambodia continues recovering. Philippines daily cases continue higher. 287 Filipinos die yesterday only surpassed by 2 days in April that were the deadliest ever. Kazakhstan remains a mess. Spain continues improving but crosses the 82K deaths grim milestone. Iran reports 39.6K daily new cases the highest ever.
Note Added Monday Morning, 8/9/21, at 4:00 AM EST: The US reports 24.4K daily new cases an expected lower Sunday number. Nonetheless, it is a welcome sight. 24K is a lot better than 130K. The data during the week, however, will tell the tale as it always does, especially the worst data of the week typically occurring on Fridays. The 7-day MA is off its peak now at 94K so as long as the daily cases remain below 94K this week, conditions in the US will improve. Any US daily cases over 100K this week will stick a shiv into Uncle Sam's ribs. 129 Americans die yesterday. Florida Governor DeSantis remains under pressure for his mandate against mandates. He does not want schools to mandate masks, however, with the the Sunshine State the epicenter of the US pandemic, many parents want their children to wear masks. The mask controversies continue during the whole pandemic. DeSantis stands for less power and control from the federal government but at the state level he wants to be king over local governments. DeSantis should allow schools to make their own choices. A rural school with less students and large facilities may consider more lenient mask policies than a jam-packed school in a Florida city where students are crammed into tight spaces in old buildings and there is not enough property outside for instruction. According to the new CDC mask guidelines, that everyone ignores due to the confusion, the substantial and high transmission counties in the United States, shown as orange and red, respectively, on the CDC map, are encompassing much of the nation so the recommendation is for everyone to use masks in indoor settings. The mixed messages and pandemic politicization continues. Looking at Florida data, it may be surprising to many considering the doom and gloom. There are over 4 million teens and children under 18 years old in Florida and only 172 are currently in the hospital. A different source references only 135 children. In addition, how many of these young folks are overweight or obese? Everyone has to make their own risk decision and decide if 172 children in Florida hospitals is a big number, or not. Illinois is at 3K cases per day as of Friday and right now entering the 7 to 10 day incubation period after the Lollapalooza rock concert in Chicago. It will be interesting to see if the concert adds to the caseload this week in Illinois, or not. Ditto the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Many bikers say they are vaccinated and others have had covid so the thinking that the rally may create a superspreader event like last year may be overblown.
Note Added Monday Morning, 8/9/21, at 5:00 AM EST: The federal courts rule that Norwegian Cruise Line can require proof of a COVID-19 vaccination before boarding a ship. The decision is a slap to Florida Governor DeSantis's face that does not want any mandates or vaccine passports. Dr Brilliant, who has previously worked for WHO, professes more fear and worry so people will get vaccinated. Talking to CNBC, Brilliant says, "I think we're closer to the beginning than we are to the end." He says that COVID-19 will become a "forever virus" like the flu. "Unless we vaccinate everyone in 200 plus countries, there will still be new variants." In less than 10 days, 6 church members meet The Maker at Impact Church in Arlington (a Jacksonville neighborhood), Florida. News4Jax reports that one church goer became sick last month and then the virus spread like wildfire. Four of the dead are under 35 years old. 20 church people remain hospitalized praying like mad that they do not die. There are no atheist's in foxholes. Another 10 people are at home recovering and about 15% of the church infections are with vaccinated people. The story leaves a lot of questions. How fat were all these people? Did obesity play a role? Other health ailments? Were they performing charity work with migrants? What is the exact cause of death of the young folks? How did the virus spread through the church or was it carried to the church each day from outside sources? Which vaccination did people take? The church is holding a vaccination drive to encourage people to get the shot. The heat in the DeSantis kitchen grows hotter.
Note Added Monday Morning, 8/9/21, at 6:00 AM EST: Canada opens its border to Americans for the first time in 16 months. Ma and Pa Kettle are packing the station wagon for a trip to Niagara Falls. The Canucks have been allowed to enter America via air during the entire pandemic but not via land. Hopefully, the US wave 5, with the dominant Delta variant, will roll over and not create a reversal of the border decisions. Economies need to recover and that is done through increased trade. The CDC vaccination rate chart never did print that 864K doses per day touted last week by the Whitehouse COVID-19 task force. They probably meant to say 648K doses per day. They need to correct their mistake. The chart show the vaccination rate continuing to climb (it is actually leveling off; the data is 3 days old) which is positive news for America now at 562K doses per day as per the 7-day MA as per Friday. The United States should be content if they can maintain 600K doses per day. 166.5 million Americans are fully vaccinated and 58.7% have at least one dose. Thus, within a couple-three weeks, 59% of the country will be fully vaccinated. Add that to the 10% to 30% that have natural immunity is a total of 69% to 89% herd immunity this month. Keep your fingers crossed that US wave 5 is the last covid hurrah. The vaccination rate is woefully low in the young age demographic with only 57%-58% of the 18 to 49 year old's vaccinated (43% of the young people in their 20's, 30's and 40's are not vaccinated). Young folks are not taking the shot for a multitude of reasons. Perhaps some of you never lived the rebel life in your youth and cannot relate to the rebellious nature of the human mind. Everyone is wired differently. Rage Against sings "The Violence" the top rock song among young folks nowadays. They yell, "Are we not good enough?! Are we not brave enough?!"
Note Added Monday Morning, 8/9/21, at 8:00 AM EST: An article in the WSJ titled, "The Case Against Masks for Children," by Marty Makary and H Cody Meissner, creates controversy. The article says children may be harmed more by wearing masks rather than not. They say children do not typically transmit the virus. 'Only' 358 children have died during the pandemic. It is a very low number despite the devastation for those families. Masks may create psychological, social and educational problems. Hugh Hewitt political commentator asks Fauci about the article and surprisingly he does not cast any shade on the piece. Fauci does not dispute the information and data in the article but instead says the India B1617 variant (delta) is different than the UK B117 variant (alpha) and original virus D614G (Delta variant is worse; more contagious). It is interesting that the pandemic rages on after 1-1/2 years but there remains many questions on how effective masks actually are.
Note Added Monday Morning, 8/9/21, at 10:00 AM EST: The CDC releases breakthrough data that remains shrouded in mystery. The CDC proclaims that 99.99% of vaccinated people will not experience a breakthrough case. In other words, less than 0.01% of vaccinated people have developed breakthrough infections resulting in serious health issues or death. The CDC says less than 0.0001% of people have suffered severe or fatal breakthrough cases. 7,525 vaccinated people were hospitalized or died through July when 164 million Americans were vaccinated to that point. 3 out of 4 breakthrough cases are people 65 years old and older so if you are a senior, even if vaccinated, keep your guard up. The CDC admitted that they were not tracking all the breakthrough cases which is automatic incompetence and does hint that the numbers are lower than real conditions. The CDC says 10,262 breakthrough cases are reported through April. 3K of the breakthrough cases were asymptomatic, 995 were hospitalized and 160 died. The doctors and scientists keep saying that Delta variant is far more transmissible than the Alpha variant but the breakthrough data does not reflect delta if it ended in April. First, taking the numbers on face value, 10,262 breakthrough cases divided by 164 million people is 0.0001 and times 100 to make it a percent (move the decimal 2 places) is 0.01% matching the CDC's proclamation ((10262/164000000)x100). Adding breakthrough hospitalizations and deaths is 995+160=1155. Dividing 1,155 breakthrough cases that were severe or ended in death by 164 million vaccinated people is 0.000007 that can be rounded to 0.00001 and times 100 to make it a percent is 0.001% matching the CDC's decree ((1155/164000000)x100). But the CDC is using some fuzzy math. As mentioned, the number of breakthrough cases are likely higher due to the lack of or shoddy data collection. In addition, if the data runs through April, it is only 4 months of vaccination data. The 164 million, however, is a fairly up to date number (it is currently at 166.5. million Americans fully vaccinated), and it runs the entire vaccination period from mid-December to present. The vaccinations are 7.5 months and the breakthrough data is 4 months less than half the duration of the actual shots. For fun, equating the 10,262 number to 8 months instead of 4 months is 21K estimated breakthrough cases to get the numbers on the same basis. Delta is supposed to be a more wicked virus so the 21K number may be closer to 30K breakthrough cases. We do not know because the CDC fell down on the job of data collection. Equating the 1,155 breakthrough cases that were severe or deadly to the longer time period would be double that or 2,310 breakthrough cases. The CDC and Whitehouse goal is to convince the unvaccinated that breakthrough cases are so rare there is nothing to worry about so run out and roll up your sleeve.
Note Added Monday Afternoon, 8/9/21: Florida Governor DeSantis says funds will be withheld from schools implementing mask mandates as well as withholding salaries from school officials. Florida and Texas schools are opening in the middle of the mask mess. Texas implemented a law against mask mandates but some schools, such as a Dallas school, are implementing mask mandates. The mask stuff will come to a head over the next week or two. A hospital tent is erected at Lyndon B Johnson Hospital in Houston, Texas, to handle overflow of patients. It is reminiscent of the pandemic disaster at the start of the year. Former President Obama's birthday party at Martha's Vineyard, the playground of the rich and famous, receives criticism and ridicule. Huge tents were erected on the vast property enough to cover your whole neighborhood. 500 guests were planned with 200 staff needed to serve the privileged. After receiving criticism about holding such a large party event, that may be a superspreader, as Americans suffer from the Delta variant, the guest list was supposed to be pared back. It does not look that way except there is one guest less because Casanova Cuomo is not there. In addition, the outdoors was touted as a safe environment but it appears people spent a lot of time indoors at the Obama mansion. Leaked photographs show guests dancing and singing, Obama hobnobbing; all maskless. The politicians, celebrities and wealthy elite tell Americans to wear masks while they thumb their noses at the guidelines. Martha's Vineyard is in the red area on the CDC map which says everyone indoors should wear a mask. The partiers spit on the guidelines. The Whitehouse is distressed about the signal the Obama party sends to America (rules for thee, not for me and do as I say, not as I do) and the reflection it has on the democrat tribe. The DJ (disc jockey; record spinner; music emcee) posted pictures on the internet but they were quickly removed. Ditto with the guests posting pictures but they pulled their photos. America is the land of the have's and have not's. The greedy wealthy bastards took all the money over the last five decades in crony America. 30 million people screwed the other 300 million and the huddled masses will deliver payback over the next decade or two. Republican media has a field day with Obama's soiree proclaiming that the liberals follow "rules for thee, not for D (democrats)." Obama will not release the final number of guests at the party. He is probably ashamed since the guest list was only trimmed from 500 to 499. This behavior by the ruling class only results in an uglier and prolonged class war ahead for America. Going forward, the crystal ball says the upper middle class sycophants that service the wealthy, and the privileged elite class itself, crony capitalists all, will receive their multi-year comeuppance.
Note Added Monday Evening, 8/9/21, at 5:00 PM EST: Moderna stock, MRNA, catapults +17% higher on news of strong vaccine sales and price hikes coming. PFE pops +2%. BNTX leaps +15%. JNJ trades flat. Traders and investors are rabid dogs buying every share of Moderna, Pfizer and BioNTech they can get their hands on (BioNTech is pronounced 'be-on-tech' like you are almost saying Beyoncé). The mRNA vaccine companies are in demand while the conventional vaccine maker, Johnny John, is shunned by investors. The CDC adds seven countries to its travel list of nations to avoid; Israel, Iceland, Thailand, France, French Polynesia, Aruba and Eswatini (southeast tip of Africa). Israel and Iceland have stellar vaccination programs but they are floating in the delta stew like everyone else. Keystone cancels the trip to Paris but so looked forward to the wine and baguette.
Note Added Monday Evening, 8/9/21, at 6:00 PM EST: The non-stop fear-mongering campaign to convince people to get vaccinated continues. The daily diatribes fall on deaf ears. With the new US wave 5 well underway, dominated by the India B1617 variant (delta), anyone that is vaccinated now with the mRNA shots will not be fully protected for about 6 weeks. There is at least a 3 or 4 week waiting period between shots (studies now show that a 10-week period is the best) and 2 more weeks are needed after the second shot to build the antibodies to the fully protected level. By then we will be throwing a bon voyage party waving bye-bye to Delta Queen. The daily brow-beating of unvaccinated people and pitting folks against one another is an unwise plan. 10% of the US has had COVID-19 verified by the stats. The CDC says 100 million people may have had coronavirus which is nearer to 30% of the US and this was said a few months ago. By now the number has to be in a 20% to 40% range. Interestingly, and epiphany-like, is that there are currently 31% of Americans that do not want vaccinated and there is likely about the same exact number that have had COVID-19. Perhaps these folks have talked to their doctors, had antibody testing, and many were told to not take the shot since they are protected adequately. These people are not anti-vaxxer's; they are folks making logical decisions with their doctors and are responsible citizens. This makes the fear-mongering campaign even more damaging and dangerous for society. The positive side to people getting sick is that they at least add to the numbers creating herd immunity. About 58% of the population is vaccinated with at least one dose, so within 2 or 3 weeks, most will be fully-vaccinated. Thus, the herd immunity percentage is likely around 68% to 88% and maybe into the 90%'s. If America can spank-down delta right now, the path forward will likely brighten substantially and the doom and gloom predicted for the Fall may be way overblown. The path ahead remains a mystery but the daily cases data will tell the tale.
Note Added Monday Evening, 8/9/21, at 8:00 PM EST: The JOLTS report which is a monthly accounting of job openings in the United States, is over 10 million jobs available. At least 8 million people remain out of work due to job loss during the pandemic so there are more jobs available than people looking, or so it is touted. It is actually a skills mismatch that has been going on for decades. Many jobs require special skills, college degrees and experience so a burger flipper need not apply. Further, pre-pandemic, the JOLTS report was at record levels of 6 million job openings. This illustrates the skills mismatch. 6 million jobs could not be filled before the pandemic. Also, to skirt equal opportunity laws, some companies will place ads in media in states that are physically far away from the business that only pays a modest wage. The company does not have any intent in hiring anyone but it is counted as a job opening. When a government official asks why there are 50 white men working at this company and no diversity, the company says they searched high and low but could not find diversified candidates. Are you starting to understand the crony capitalism system? Corporations use lots of tricks to skirt EEOC (US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) laws. In the 1960's and 1970's, folks would say that "the man is keeping us down." This statement was typically directed at the government and companies but it was actually a subconscious reaction and realization of America's crony capitalism system taking hold in an ugly way. Taking the 6 million job openings away from the 10 million currently, is 4 million job openings which more accurately reflect the current needs of the United States economy. Thus, there are about 2 people looking for work per every realistic job opening. The job opportunities touted in the media daily are not the pot of gold advertised. Americans do not understand economics or markets for the most part, so the 10 million job openings and 8 million people looking is touted as a great development and there will be blue skies and rainbows ahead for all. This is not the case. As explained, there are more realistically about 4 million job openings that are available to the 8 million looking but that means 4 million people will remain out of work (f the available jobs are filled which is unlikely). Some folks are remaining unemployed because they receive the $300 per week supplemental check but this runs out in a month. Unemployed people should start migrating back to work now as long as the new 4 million estimated job openings remain available. However, the US faces a structural problem with jobs going forward and millions remaining out of work or underemployed. This ultimately drags the economy down because people without money do not spend money. Workers are not needed to manufacture products or provide services which produces a downward economic spiral. The realism behind the job openings numbers is starkly different from what a layman believes, however, ignorance is truly, and always, bliss.
Note Added Monday Evening, 8/9/21, at 9:00 PM EST: The US is sending Moderna vaccine to Mexico to help our southern neighbors fight the pandemic spinning out of control. It would have been smarter to send the vaccine 6 weeks ago. 98% of the US population is living in a substantial or high transmission county on the CDC map (orange and red areas, respectively) which means indoor masks for all. People are not paying attention anymore. Go into a store in any high transmission county in any state and you will find folks walking around maskless. The CDC has lost the communication game.
Note Added Tuesday Morning, 8/10/21, at 5:00 AM EST: The US reports 102.4K daily new cases for Monday, a number over 100K, but it maintains a 3-day retreat off the top. The daily cases peak at 132.3K cases on Friday. Saturday is 122.4K cases and Sunday is 104.4K cases. It is disheartening to see the weekend data that elevated. The updates to the numbers are some of the biggest seen during the pandemic but nonetheless, the direction in daily cases is down for 3 days and the cases remain below the 7-day MA at 117K cases. This is a magic number. If the US daily cases are over 117K today or tomorrow, we will be blown out of the water and conditions will worsen. If the daily cases remain below 117K, there is hope that the daily cases for wave 5 will roll over at any time (the active cases would follow in a couple weeks). 327 Americans die on Sunday and 326 die yesterday. The China Flu shatters human's hopes and dreams. Oh my. Florida reports 28.3K daily new cases for both Sunday and Monday the highest cases ever. After hearing the jaw-dropping, eye-opening news, DeSantis coughs-up a piece of hard candy momentarily stuck in his throat. Sadly, it means there is no rest in store for the healthcare workers in Florida. It is likely going to be a situation this month where Florida may want to call in the National Guard to erect some field hospitals and request that other states send healthcare workers. Florida is going to experience a turbulent August. Keep in mind that other nations saw rapid vertical spikes in cases like Spain, Netherlands and UK, and the cases then quickly collapsed lower. Florida needs this outcome but even if that happens right now, the hospital situation will worsen for at least 2 more weeks before it would level-off for a week or so, then begin dropping. Texas cases are less than half of the peak so that is great news if it holds this week. Cases remain off the top in California and New York. Conditions continue improving in many states contrary to the television gloom and doom. The Tuesday (today) and Wednesday daily cases data is uber important. Illinois cases are off the top for a couple days but the jury remains out after 400K people attended the multi-day Lollapalooza rock concert in Chicago. The incubation period places a window for rising cases due to the concert in the 8/8/21 through 8/11/21 window (now). Cases hit 3K in Illinois on Friday and Saturday, then drop to 2.3K on Sunday but back up to 2.6K on Monday. So far, the concert does not appear to have created a wild jump in cases but give it through Wednesday. If daily cases spike in Illinois over the next couple days, you will know it is Lollapalooza. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally continues. Fauci weighs in on all topics; he is attracted to cameras like a moth to light. Lord Fauci declares that those bikers will spread virus and heavens to Betsy, they should not be involved in such behavior. That's funny. Keystone is getting a tattoo at one of the shops in Sturgis since it will surprise Nurse Goodbody when she administers the vaccine shot in his buttocks.
Note Added Tuesday Morning, 8/10/21, at 7:00 AM EST: Russia is a mess with daily cases and deaths remaining elevated for 2 months. China reports nearly 150 new cases for Monday. Europe is improving and France and Italy are coming off a peak in daily cases. Mexico cases remain above 20K per day. South Africa improves but crosses the 75K deaths grim milestone. Ho. Whoa. Israel reports a big jump in daily new cases on Monday to 5.9K cases. Something has gone horribly wrong in Israel. 43 Israeli's die from COVID-19 since Saturday reporting the highest daily death numbers since March. Malaysia daily cases keep coming off the top so the peak may be in for daily new cases, however, hospitals will remains challenged for the next few weeks. Ditto Thailand. Vietnam remains in trouble with elevated daily cases and deaths. Japan peaks on Sunday with daily new cases and if this holds, the outbreak wave would have peaked with daily cases on the last day of the Olympics (Sunday) during the closing ceremonies. That is Bad, Bad Luck, as Mike Ness would sing. "13 is my lucky number, to you it means stay inside (with a mask on)." Iran reports 41K daily new cases the highest ever. 588 Iranians die yesterday the deadliest day ever. What a shame. Aside from Iran, Russia and Mexico, and perhaps a few other countries, the world is looking marginally better.
Note Added Tuesday Morning, 8/10/21, at 9:00 AM EST: Wesleyan College a private university in West Virginia, is charging unvaccinated students a $750 fee for the Fall semester they say will cover extra costs. It is sickening. The college uses bullying and discrimination tactics against students the same behavior they preach against in their classrooms. The college is limiting the access to facilities by the unvaccinated and will take action against anyone breaking the rules. In other words, get down on your knees, and roll up your sleeves, for your mission in life, is to make Wesleyan pleased. Kneel or leave. Are you part of today's sick society; the 'Holier Than Thou' Americans? Hawaiian Airlines and Frontier Airlines join United Airlines in mandating vaccines for staff. If you want to fly high, first get down low on your knees, and roll up your sleeves.
Note Added Tuesday Morning, 8/10/21, at 11:00 AM EST: Kentucky republican Senator Paul, Fauci's nemesis, is placed into YouTube Jail for 7 days due to his video the other day when he encouraged people to resist the CDC guidelines. YouTube was concerned that he may inspire violence. Give him "40 lashes with a wet noodle," as Ann Landers would quip. Right-wing Representative Marjorie Greene is placed into Twitter Jail for one week due to spreading misinformation about vaccines. She may end up suspending herself off Twitter with a couple more infractions. YouTube (Google) and Twitter are the Ministry of Truth and the deciders of what is just and righteous.
Note Added Tuesday Afternoon, 8/10/21, at 1:00 PM EST: Hypocrisy alert. Michigan democrat Representative Rashida Tlaib, who is part of the Squad, a small group of radical leftist and progressive thinkers such as AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), rakes Senator Paul over the coals for his video about ignoring mask guidelines. Tlaib then ignores her own mask rhetoric dancing the night away maskless at a wedding reception. The location is at a substantial transmission zone, orange, so masks are required by all indoors. The politicians do not take the mask stuff seriously. They keep telling the huddled masses to war masks and then they galivant around maskless without a care in the world. Do as I say, not as I do. Obama's party is another slap in the face to average Americans. The huddled masses watch the elite play and only take solace in knowing that there will be payback some day. If you want to be a great leader, you have to spend time in the trenches with the people you are leading, otherwise, they will never have respect for you, and never follow you, and they shouldn't. A few months ago, California democrat Newsom, closed the restaurants to halt the spread of virus and then he went out to dine the night away maskless with friends at The Laundry, a fancy French restaurant. He probably drank expensive wine and ate baguette. Also, the Washington, DC, Mayor Bowser decrees mask rules among the peasants but she enjoys a maskless wedding reception of fun and frolic. Lots of young folks put off weddings due to the pandemic and have been jamming in vows the last few weeks so perhaps some of these wedding receptions are adding to the cases. The weddings sure are adding to the mass mask hypocrisy.
Note Added Tuesday Afternoon, 8/10/21, at 2:00 PM EST: New York democrat Governor Cuomo resigns due to sexual harassment allegations. Casanova Como is crying crocodile tears in a resignation speech. He could have used some acting lessons. He blabbers on and makes no sincere apology to the young ladies he allegedly violated physically, mentally and/or emotionally. Good riddance, dude. Guys like him give all men a bad name. Cuomo will leave in disgrace in 14 days; he should be escorted out now. Governor Andy became too randy and loses his political future due to his cuomosexuality. He has a mess of legal problems ahead for the next couple years. 11 women accuse Cuomo of improprieties, and worse. No, check that. It is up to 13 ladies now and probably a few more on the way. One incident may be a relationship misunderstanding but a baker's dozen is a sick pattern of perversion. He must also account for the coronavirus nursing home scandal but the DOJ left him off the hook. His brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo, is off the air and hiding in the basement behind the water heater waiting for the Cuomo stink to dissipate. Governor Cuomo exhibits the same characteristics as Trump. Rampant bloviating narcissism never apologizing for missteps. When Trump left Washington, DC, on the airplane, on Biden's Inauguration Day on 1/20/21, the orange man had the airport speakers blaring Frank Sinatra's "My Way." Cuomo messed up. He should have had a theme song for his farewell speech today. Everything is theatre and entertainment in the bread and circus days. The ladies he mistreated, and perhaps did worse to, are channeling Patty Smyth proclaiming, "Goodbye To You." New York's Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul will takeover as governor as Cuomo takes the walk of shame. Hochul is the first female governor of New York. More power to her. In Texas, the migrant issue at the southern border is gaining more attention. It is difficult to stop the spread of covid when some of the border crossing areas are reporting migrants testing positive at a rate of 20% or more. In other words, at some areas of the southern border with Mexico, 1 in 5 migrants are testing positive for coronavirus. The fingers remain crossed that US wave 5, the Delta wave, will be a fast-moving wave.
Note Added Tuesday Afternoon, 8/10/21, at 3:00 PM EST: President Biden says the governor's mask bans in schools in Florida and Texas are "totally counterintuitive and disingenuous." The WHO has its hand out again wanting $7.7 billion for pandemic-related costs and vaccines that it provides to poor nations. Director General Tedros says there is a $17 billion shortfall at the organization which limits its ability to function. There are 7.7 billion people on earth so Tedros must have figured a dollar per head ought to do it. The WHO lays in bed with communist China so the only way they can be provided funds is with full accountability and transparency. No one wants to see money directed to gain of function research activities at the Wuhan Labs again.
Note Added Wednesday Morning, 8/11/21, at 3:00 AM EST: The news is encouraging for the US as 101.3K daily new cases are reported for Tuesday. The US keeps coming off the peak high in daily new cases at 133K on 8/6/21. The 7-day MA for US daily new cases is at 116K so American needs to stay below this number to pull the trend lower. So far so good this week. Tuesday's number would be expected to be far higher. The 101.3K cases is an elevated number but good news since it keeps dropping off the top. It would be celebratory if today's cases are sub 100K but that may be a bridge too far. On the down side, 657 Americans die yesterday. The 7-day MA for US deaths is at 535 deaths so 657 souls perishing is bad news. To beat the obese dead horse a little more, the majority of COVID-19 patients in hospitals are overweight and obese folks. Even the younger folks sickened have weight problems. It is glaring in news reports as patient after patient is paraded across the television screens to encourage vaccinations (most have weight problems which challenge their lungs and heart; coronavirus is a respiratory pathogen). If you want more shots in arms, point out the fact that the majority of patients are overweight and obese. If you are "fluffy" like Gabriel Iglesias, call your doctor and ask about the vaccines. The Florida daily data is lagging again with Sunday and Monday at the highest daily cases ever above 28K for each day. Ventilators are sent to Florida but Governor DeSantis says there are plenty of supplies and he is not aware of any request for ventilators. Florida remains a COVID-19 hot zone registering the most cases per capita than any other US state and most every nation on earth. DeSantis is feeling the heat. Bad news is also occurring in the Lonestar State. Just when the US-wide picture is improving, Texas is stuck with a covid shiv to the ribs reporting 16.8K daily new cases the highest of the current wave and most since 2/3/21 a half year ago. Texas crosses the 54K deaths grim milestone. Sadly, 99 Texans croak yesterday the deadliest day since 4/9/21 four months ago. It is the migrant crisis at the southern border combined with the virus wave coming up from Central America. Texas is in deep trouble and will need help. Republican Governor Abbott, that prohibits schools from imposing mask mandates, is asking other states for help. August will be an ugly month for Texas. Illinois crosses the grim 26K deaths milestone but cases remain in check so Lollapalooza may not be the superspreader event feared. Oregon reports a huge spike in cases to 2.3K the highest ever. Hospitalizations are at record levels. Oregon imposes a state-wide indoor mask mandate. Louisiana cases pop to 6.1K an unwelcome sight but remaining below the 7/27/21 peak in daily cases at 6.8K. Louisiana's daily cases chart is shown above and is a test case to see if the Delta wave retreats quickly, or not. The jury remains out but a couple more days of daily cases data from the Bayou State will tell the tale. Mississippi reports 3.5K daily new cases the most ever. That is a punch to the gut. 36 Mississippians die the most in 5 months. West Virginia reports 457 daily cases the most since March. Not good. As mentioned previously, the virus spreads northeast from the southern states so cases are rising in West Virginny. Damn. Pennsylvania reports over 2K daily new cases the most since May. The cases are not out of hand but hopefully, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, can serve as a firewall to stop the delta scourge. Generally, the United States is looking better except for the spread north to Pennsy and the disasters in Florida, Texas and Louisiana. Pennsylvania crosses the 28K deaths grim milestone. Remember when everyone cared intensely about each death when there were only a handful of COVID-19 mortalities 18 months ago? Now no one bats an eyelash at 28,000 dead souls in the Keystone State let alone the 634,662 American deaths and over 4.3 million deaths worldwide. As the murdering dirtbag Josef Stalin said, "The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic."
Note Added Wednesday Morning, 8/11/21, at 4:00 AM EST: Russia registers 800 deaths per day for one solid month. The UK is on the mend after a brief pop in cases due to the 7/19/21 reopening and Freedom Day. The UK active cases chart should flatten and roll over in the days ahead, forming the coveted bell shape, and verifying that the UK is on a happy path forward. Hospitals should remain busy for another week or so but then see a sharp drop-off in caseloads. Cases are popping in Canada so the neighbors to the north are developing a new problem, and covid wave, again. South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique continue improving but two southern Africa neighbors Botswana and Eswatini remain challenged. Kenya tells state workers to get down on their knees and receive the vaccine or face punishment. Cases remain elevated in Iran. Israel remains challenged as its daily cases curve goes parabolic. If Israel follows the Delta variant wave pattern of Spain, Netherlands and UK, perhaps a quick retreat will occur any day forward. German Chancellor Merkel puts the screws to the unvaccinated citizens imposing testing demands and at the same time no longer offering free tests. Humorously, Merkel's edict is the hard German 'stick and stick' approach rather than a 'carrot and stick'. Germany's street protests will increase. The world's wealthy, that enjoy the airline travel to exotic locations, want their lifestyles back and the dirty unwashed unvaccinated peons are in the way. The elite want the unvaccinated to kneel and receive the shots and then kneel and serve them.
Note Added Wednesday Morning, 8/11/21, at 5:00 AM EST: Banking giant Citigroup, that was bailed-out in 2009 along with other corrupt financial institutions, is mandating vaccines for employees. If you want to be a bigshot in the banking industry, first get on your knees, and receive the vaccine. American, Delta and Southwest Airlines do not plan to mandate vaccines like United, Hawaiian and Frontier Airlines. Mississippi State Board of Health is recommending doctors administer booster shots to the immunocompromised. The medical officials keep telling Americans there is no need for a booster shot as yet (so as not to discourage ongoing vaccinations) but Mississippi ventures out on its own sticking the vulnerable with a third shot. Their science must be different than other people's science? That ought to do a good job at further clouding and confusing the ongoing chaotic and leaderless pandemic. Mississippi reports the most daily cases ever yesterday so they are doing everything they can to stop the delta scourge.
Note Added Wednesday Morning, 8/11/21, at 6:00 AM EST: UPMC hospitals in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, are expanding the use of monoclonal antibodies in treating COVID-19 patients. There is great success in reducing the severity of coronavirus after patients show symptoms. The two proven monoclonal antibody treatments for high-risk patients exposed to COVID-19 are casirivimab-imdevimab and sotrovimab. The FDA has expanded the emergency use authorization for casirivimab-imdevimab for those at high risk of getting severe disease. It is great and positive news. The Pittsburgh, PA, hospitals, universities and medical research facilities often pave the way for others to follow. Monoclonal antibodies stimulate the immune system to attack specific cells. The treatment is only for unvaccinated folks that develop worsening symptoms or are at high risk such as over 65 years old or have a BMI above 25 (which encompasses a lot of folks that love candy, cake, potato chips and ice cream). The monoclonal antibodies treatment is available to anyone over 12 years old and must be administered within 10 days of the onset of symptoms. If unvaccinated and you feel sick, get to a doctor and discuss this treatment immediately. Former President Trump received the experimental Regeneron treatment when he became deathly ill with covid before the election last year. It saved his life. The UPMC doctors remind folks to get vaccinated as the best defense against COVID-19 so you never have to consider the intravenous monoclonal antibody treatments.
Note Added Wednesday Morning, 8/11/21, at 11:00 AM EST: The California school system requires all staff to get vaccinated or receive regular testing the first school system to enforce a vaccine mandate. The Amtrak rail system is mandating vaccines. Movie star Tom Hanks and his wife are dealing with their adult son Chet's anti-vaccine video. Chet Hanks starts off calmly encouraging people to get vaccinated then flips his wig yelling, "Psych," and saying COVID-19 is only the flu and he is sick of wearing masks. HIs parents must be proud (said cynically). The video remains posted on YouTube for now. It may get taken down for its anti-vaccine rhetoric. The Hanks's were sick with coronavirus in Australia early on in the pandemic last year so it is probably difficult for them to hear their son saying it is no big deal. Thousands of tickets are being sold for the Bonnaroo concert in Nashville from 9/2/21 through 9/5/21. It will be a big party into the Labor Day holiday on 9/6/21. Par-tay! Dozens of bands will be playing such as Grace Potter. Lollapalooza currently does not appear to be a superspreader, the jury is out with the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally ongoing in South Dakota and the talk will begin that Bonnaroo will be a superspreader. The concert is mandating vaccines but you can get into the show with proof of a negative test. People are getting on with life.
Note Added Wednesday Afternoon, 8/11/21, at 5:00 PM EST: Bombshell news. Various news sources are reporting that the FDA may announce booster shot approval for immunocompromised folks within the next 2 days (about 3% of the population; about 3 million Americans). The first 2 shots of the mRNA vaccines or single-shot J&J vaccine were not effective in building antibody protection for these folks. People dealing with cancer and organ recipients may require the booster shots. It is a third shot rather than a booster because it is still trying to develop acceptable levels of antibodies. The immunocompromised would be first to receive boosters. The FDA, CDC and other medical officials probably wish the word booster was not bandied about; the mRNA vaccines are essentially a three-shot regimen. Everyone has to wait for the exact details from the FDA since it is all a guess right now. The CDC will then help lay ground rules for the boosters with the FDA so shots could begin on the weekend.
Note Added Wednesday Afternoon, 8/11/21, at 7:00 PM EST: At 220 pounds, in the republican corner, is Ramblin' Ron DeSantis. At 98 pounds, in the democrat corner, is Sleepy Joe Biden. The two chiefs and their tribes continue on the war path. DeSantis is asked about Florida receiving ventilators but he pleads ignorance. The president's media spokesperson Jen Psaki says the Whitehouse does not send ventilators unless requested. 200 were sent to Florida this week. DeSantis says he and his cabinet were unaware of the request (so an underling must have requested the breathing equipment). If the ventilators are needed, it is good that they were sent. It is better than people dying. People's egos are getting in the way of doing good. DeSantis says there is no significant change to the pediatric hospitalizations but the data show otherwise. The Florida governor then goes on the offense proclaiming that the CDC is reporting bogus Florida data. He says the 28.3K daily cases number never happened and it was a combination of days. They are all playing games and professing fuzzy math. Florida and a few other states, Utah as well, were going to go to a weekly reporting of daily case numbers since everything looked rosy after wave 4 rolled over and died. Alas, here comes the delta wave 5 scourge that tosses the US back into the covid soup. Florida then went back to reporting the cases daily but then after a couple days stopped again, then restarted. There is plenty of blame to go around after that mess. The CDC chart for Florida looks fine. Tuesday's daily cases for the Sunshine State are 24.8K a new record high and the 7-day MA is at 21.2K cases. These are elevated numbers and bad news. The total daily cases over 7 days are 148K about 21K per day so all these numbers jive. Any daily cases over 21.5K for Florida for the current wave is a record so DeSantis complaining about the 28K number is a moot point. There have been several record case days. Worldometer shows Florida peaking at 24.0K daily new cases on 8/6/21 last Friday. Florida's daily cases are down for 3 consecutive days and hopefully the data for today, that will be out in a few hours, will be the fourth day lower. The CDC data lags the Worldometer data. 15K people are in Florida hospitals including 200 children. Americans are sick of the two political parties playing their baby games.
Note Added Wednesday Evening, 8/11/21, at 8:00 PM EST: The CDC says pregnant women should get the vaccine. The data has been available for a few weeks and the CDC is criticized for not publicizing the information sooner. If with child, get down on your knees, and roll up your sleeve. Then, after the shot, ask your spouse to pull you back up. CDC Director Walensky shames herself in the statement about pregnant women by referencing "pregnant people." She wants Americans to believe her medical expertise while feeding them a line that all people get pregnant. Men do not get pregnant. The phrase 'pregnant people' is pure jackass and if you hear it, laugh out loud. The attempted changes to socially-accepted language these days can be hilariously stupid. The CDC also uses the asinine pregnant people wording on its web pages. Be a level-headed independent thinker in life, not a jackass. It makes you wonder about the information coming from a medical organization that thinks men can get pregnant, doesn't it, or at least from a medical establishment that will blindly repeat what it is told to say from On High, no matter how silly and stupid? Using the words 'pregnant people' indicates the CDC's willingness to be viewed as a political organization. A medical organization touting 'pregnant people' loses credibility. Florida and Texas schools are requiring masks in defiance of the republican governor's decrees. Senator Rand Paul comments on his YouTube temporary ban calling Google "leftwing cretins." Paul, an ophthalmologist, continues telling folks to not use masks and instead get on with life. He says YouTube is acting as "an arm of the government." Republican media cheer his proclamations. Democrat media jeer his decrees saying Paul is sending people (without masks) to their deaths. Everyone is a drama queen nowadays. The US wave 5 will probably roll over creating better days ahead and the mask and vaccine mandate talk will flitter away over time. The US daily cases for today, Thursday and Friday remain the key.
Note Added Wednesday Evening, 8/11/21, at 9:00 PM EST: Moderna stock, MRNA, collapses from 500 to 372 over the last 2 days, a -26% crash, as analysts say the stock is too overvalued. PFE (Pfizer) pulls back about -5%. BNTX (BioNTech) crashes -22%. Keep in mind the stocks are up huge over the last 18 months. Senator Paul says his wife bought $15K of Gilead stock, GILD, which makes the Remdesivir drug, in February 2020. He did not disclose the purchase within the 45 day requirement. Paul says the stock generated a loss. The WHO slammed the antiviral drug in 2020 sinking GILD stock. Paul should have held it since GILD is higher in price now than February 2020. Why do you think all the politicians end up as wealthy men and women when they leave Washington, DC? Of course, it is insider trading. What are you, stupid? It's crony capitalism.
Note Added Thursday Morning, 8/12/21, at 5:00 AM EST: The US wave 5 goes from bad to worse. The hump day cases number is not as hoped. America reports 144.6K daily new cases for Wednesday the highest of wave 5 and the most since 1/30/21. Lord Have Mercy. The 7-day MA trend line for the US daily new cases ramps higher to 123.3K cases. It is ugly. The pattern of daily cases is following the same fractal as late last October into mid-November when wave 3 started taking off higher. The 11/3/21 presidential election day is in that period when Trump lost. Back then, daily cases jumped from 80K to 160K. Now, in wave 5, from late July into the first couple weeks of August, the same general time period of a couple weeks or so, daily cases jump from 60K to 144K. Last year, that was the start of the real pain in wave 3 that hit a crescendo in January of this year. Remember, no one was vaccinated back then. Masking and social distancing were the only defenses. The expectation remains that the current wave 5 may be fast-moving but today's number is disheartening. Considering the vaccinations and Americans that have contracted covid (herd immunity increasing), the wave 3 dire outcome is not expected. The 145K daily new cases number is the new line in the sand. America has to stay below this number to right the ship. Friday is typically the largest numbers, so if the daily cases can remain sub 145K for today and especially Friday, there will be more hope, but as for now the glass is half-empty. 614 Americans die yesterday and 714 perished the day before from China Flu. Terrible numbers. The delta scourge in the South, from Florida to Texas, and all states between, is smacking hard, as folks take the vaccine. Anyone getting vaccinated now will not be fully protected with antibodies for at least 6 weeks. Perhaps the individual state data will provide more color and granularity.
Note Added Thursday Morning, 8/12/21, at 6:00 AM EST: Florida reports 24.8K daily new cases for Wednesday the highest ever. Governor DeSantis is on the losing side of the argument that the cases have not set records. It is ugly. Fortunately, the Florida deaths are trailing off lower with only 4 dying yesterday compared to 84 deaths on 7/29/21. The sick patients are likely getting pumped with monoclonal antibodies so the death count is dropping quickly. That's great. DeSantis has to bear down and improve the situation since Florida is in the worst shape of the entire pandemic. Texas reports daily new cases at 18K for 2 days running the highest of the current wave. Texans, perhaps along side sick migrants entering the US, are dropping like flies. 109 Texans die yesterday and 99 the day before. Texas hospitals are overrun some say on the brink of catastrophe. Tents are erected in hospital parking lots to help covid-positive patients. It is US wave 3 redux for the southern states. Healthcare workers are humans so it is tough to deal with another onslaught of COVID-19 like November through February. The fast rate that patients are entering Texas hospitals are creating a mini-panic. Bringing up the Texas hospitalizations chart on the CDC website (google 'CDC COVID Data Tracker'; on the site click 'Health Care Settings', then click 'Hospitalized Patients', then click 'Texas'), there are about 10K Texans in hospitals compared to the early January peak at 14K so hospitals are 71% of the way to that disaster (10/14). However, there is another story. The chart shows the steepness of the current wave 4 for Texas compared to the Fall wave 3. Are you ready to get mathy? You can do it. In Texas, from 10/3/20 through 12/22/20, an 80-day period, daily hospitalizations ran higher from 3.2K to 10.0K (a gain of 6.8 hospitalizations or 6,800 patients in 80 days). In the current wave 4 for Texas, the delta wave creates the same 6,800 hospitalizations in only 21 days, from 7/21/21 through 8/11/21 (now). Wow. No wonder the healthcare workers are freaking out. Sick covid patients are entering Texas hospitals at nearly 4 times the rate as the bad wave 3 in the Fall. For last Fall, 6,800 cases in 80 days is a rate of 85 patients per day entering the Texas hospitals (6,800/80). Right now, 6,800 cases in the last 21 days is a rate of 323 patients per day (6,800/21) entering hospitals. Again, a 323 patient per day hospitalization rate is nearly 4 times (3.8 to be exact; 323/85) the Fall rate. Thus, total hospitalizations are at 71% of what was seen in the worst of wave 3 for Texas, however, the rate of people entering the hospitals right now is 4 times higher! May Day! May Day! Red Alert! Hopefully, the delta wave crests and makes a sharp retreat, otherwise, there will be covid Hell to pay. Clicking on 'New Hospital Admissions' and 'Texas' is another sad chart since it tells you what is coming but, the admissions do pull back for a day on 8/9/21. The CDC data is behind a couple days so fingers are crossed that the admissions are steady or dropping this week which will paint a brighter picture than the doom and gloom in the math above. The Texas hospital 'admissions' data are the most important right now.
Note Added Thursday Morning, 8/12/21, at 7:00 AM EST: Louisiana keeps coming off the 7/27/21 top in daily cases so a bright spot in the sea of misery. It will be great if Louisiana keeps retreating because that will be the first positive pattern indicating that delta is a fast-moving wave. Louisianans must keep doing whatever they are doing since it is helping. Alabama displays a very nice sharp pullback an even brighter spot than Louisiana and may serve as the poster child pattern for the delta wave. 41 Alabamans die which remains an elevated number, like Louisiana, but once they shoot more of those monoclonal antibodies into folks, the deaths should trail off. Georgia is about to cross the 22K deaths grim milestone. Georgia daily new cases peaked on 8/3/21 and remain off the top which is a good thing. North and South Carolina show a spike in daily cases this week but the cases pull back the last couple days. Arkansas, Mississippi, Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio (big jump higher), West Virginia (big jump), New Mexico and New York continue reporting elevated daily cases. Tennessee, Missouri, California, Arzona and Pennsylvania cases are off the top but remain elevated. The Keystone State is trying to hold the covid line. 15% of the Pennsylvania cases are children (under 18 years old) consistent with other states. Older people are either dead, vaccinated or they had the virus, so it makes sense that the young folks are most vulnerable to the China pathogen. Oregon cases are above 2K for the last 2 days. COVID-19 is likely entering the state and spreading via the ports. Illinois daily new cases jump to 3.9K the highest of the current wave so infections from the Lollapalooza concert in Chicago show their ugly face. If this is a flash in the pan, no harm no file, but if cases remain elevated or move higher, Lollapalooza would be a superspreader. Folks in Tennessee are going nutso with anti-mask protests occurring at schools targeting health officials. Protesters call people wearing masks, "traitors," and yell "we know where you live" and "we will find you." Humans are behaving like rabid animals as the delta wave ramps up the fear daily. People should remain calm because the worst of the wave may be occurring now. Florida and Texas are the 2 hot zones spinning out of control. Most people do not realize that making terrorist-style threats at someone else will get you 3 months in the county lock-up.
Note Added Thursday Morning, 8/12/21, at 8:00 AM EST: India crosses 32 million total cases only surpassed by America's over 37 million. Fortunately, however, India's daily cases remain flat. It would be better for the cases to drop but it is far more critical that they do not rise. Oh no. France is blown out of the covid water reporting 31K daily new cases. France was on the right path flattening and rolling the daily cases over to the downside until yesterday. Whammo. The wave is not over yet, Macron. French bars and restaurants are open requiring vaccines but the rules are likely routinely broken and the increased comingling in society the last couple weeks leads to more cases. Italy, however, continues to slowly roll their daily cases over lower which means that France is mismanaging the pandemic in this near term (unless Italy cases spike higher over the next couple days to indicate that something else is going on in the two nations). Iran is Hell on Earth reporting more record cases at 43K per day. It is bad. Iraq is recovering spiking higher, now quickly retreating the hallmark of the delta wave behavior. The Philippines worsens with a spike in daily new cases. Malaysia continues topping-out with daily cases but conditions there must be horrendous. Ditto Thailand and Vietnam. Mexico cases remain elevated which continues the trouble at the border with Texas. Damn. Guatemala reports 4.6K daily new cases the most ever. Guatemalans are migrating north to the US southern border as the virus continues spreading across Central America, Mexico and now Texas.
Note Added Thursday Morning, 8/12/21, at 9:00 AM EST: Southwest airlines says customers are cancelling trips because of the India B1617 variant (delta). The near-term news is bad enough for Southwest, and the economy, but what is worse is the airline bookings in the Fall are dropping. Economic data shows that restaurants are reporting less reservations again citing the delta wave as keeping people home. China's outbreak continues to spread at about only 600 cases although the communists will never tell you the truth about what is actually going on. China shuts down about one-third of the Ningbo-Zhoushan port due to a couple of infections (which means that probably about 80% of the port is shut down if not all of it). China follows the zero-covid strategy because it wants to prove that the communist system, where you can lock everyone in their homes, is a superior system for handling pandemics. Delays in goods on container ships from China will hurt the world's economy and the holiday goods are starting to ship. There is already an ongoing semiconductor (chip) shortage that will continue for a few months. HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) mandates vaccines for its workforce. Los Angeles is following France's lead and wants to require vaccinations for people to patronize bars, restaurants, gyms and events, and may take it one draconian step further requiring vaccinations to enter grocery stores. Facebook avoids having to make a decision on vaccine mandates by delaying the return to the office until January 2022. What's with CEO Zuckerberg's hair? It looks like a helmet. The famous singer Bobby Goldsboro, best known for the sad song "Honey," was nicknamed 'helmet-head' and 'helmet-hair' in the 1970's. Zuck is the modern day helmet-head.
Note Added Thursday Afternoon, 8/12/21, at 2:00 PM EST: CDC Director Walensky says 91% of the US counties are in the substantial or high transmission areas requiring masking by all indoors. Walensky says unvaccinated people make up the overwhelming majority of hospitalizations and deaths across the country. A week ago, she and others said 99.9% of the people dying were unvaccinated. Florida and Texas are accounting for about 40% of the new hospitalizations. 15% of Americans live in either Florida or Texas, 1 in 7 people, so the increasing rate of hospitalizations is wreaking havoc across the south as healthcare workers search for spare beds. Mississippi fears that many deaths are coming this month and next. Fauci comments on the booster shots. He says, "No vaccine will have an indefinite amount of protection." He says it is inevitable that everyone will need a booster so the mRNA vaccines are looking like a 3-shot regimen. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) asks Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna for more information and data on the occurrence of new side effects including glomerulonephritis and nephrotic syndrome which are kidney issues and erythema multiforme a potential skin reaction to the vaccines. The Mayo Clinic says the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is only 42% effective against Delta variant. Humorously, if you are thinking about getting the mRNA vaccine, it is not as effective as thought after 5 to 7 months, you still have to wear a mask and you will need a booster. Other than that, it is the best thing since sliced bread. The negatives aside, the vaccines do prevent serious illness, hospitalization and death.
Note Added Thursday Afternoon, 8/12/21, at 4:00 PM EST: The mask controversy continues in America giving people an excuse to argue with each other. Masks are a flashpoint since kids are returning to school. In the Palm Beach County, Florida, school system, 400 students are in quarantine after 51 students and teachers test positive for COVID-19 after only a few days of opening. There are a few thousand students in the school system. Of course, news like Palm Beach sends both pro-mask and anti-mask proponents into frenzy. An article at City-Journal by Jeffrey H Anderson asks, "Do Masks Work?" It is a thoughtful piece that discusses many pros and cons of masks. People will have to make their own decisions. He says, for people under age 40, it was 100 times more likely to die of the Spanish Flu than COVID-19. Anderson cites carefully-controlled mask studies that show zero reduction in infections. In other words, the studies consistently show that both the masked and maskless test groups each result in the same general infection rate. Mask studies involve some voodoo because there are too many variables occurring to produce reliable data. Look around a grocery store. People have masks around their chins. There are far too many noses sticking out dripping boogers down the front of the mask. People are moving the mask with fingers and hands. The masks are not worn tightly so the open spaces immediately nullify much of the perceived good. There are too many variables to pin down for testing so both the pro and anti-masker's will have plenty of ammunition as the pandemic plays out. An important question to ponder is if masks are extremely effective, how come they never stopped any of the five US waves? Several doctors and commentators on television, radio and internet are commenting on the coronavirus particle size as compared to mask openings. Isn't it nutso? We had all these same conversations about masks last year. The folks against masks will comment on the micron size of the virus particle that is smaller than the mask openings, therefore, masks do not work. This is bush league science. The virus is transmitted via aerosolized droplets, however, they typically piggy-back on other particles such as water vapor or dust particles. This combined particle size is larger and the masks are more effective at stopping this combined particle. Most people are not experts in particle size analysis and behavior so they do not even think of such issues. If any talking head mentions mask opening sizes and the coronavirus particle size but does not talk about the virus piggybacking on other particles, be skeptical of everything the person says. If, however, a person discusses same and explains how the virus catches a ride on other particles such as dust or water vapor, that person has some credibility. When a transmission event occurs, such as a person sneezing as they hand money to a store clerk, a mask probably does not do much of anything. It may end up as the handkerchief you wipe your nose with as the clerk cringes. One thing for certain is that the mask controversy will continue after the pandemic ends, if it ends.
Note Added Thursday Evening, 8/12/21, at 6:00 PM EST: The US southern border is in crisis and President Biden is going to have to address the problem. The migrants are adding to the spread of the pandemic. The US needs a better plan because many of the migrants are testing positive for COVID-19. What a mess. The US wave 5 is sending a lot more young people to the hospital (since the older folks are either dead, vaccinated or had China Flu) with a big concern over the number of children getting sick. Some of the children are hit with the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that has been popping up in the background over the last couple months in several states. The RSV is rampant among kids and adds to the misery for children and their parents as many also battle COVID-19. The children's numbers may be lower if the RSV, which is in an unseasonal outbreak, was not in play. San Francisco, California, wants to be the first city to mandate vaccines for all. Maybe a new rock and roll movement will develop at Haight-Ashbury, like the 60's and 70's, by the unvaccinated folks that are viewed as the dregs of society, like 50 years ago. Those were the days back then. Jump in the car and go for it. Are you going to San Francisco as Scott McKenzie asks? If so, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair. The future may be an underground unvaccinated society functioning separately from the noble and righteous vaccinated royalty. It will be fun.
Note Added Thursday Evening, 8/12/21, at 9:00 PM EST: The much-awaited FDA approval occurs for vaccine booster shots, a third shot, for the immunocompromised. The CDC advisory committee meets tomorrow to discuss the FDA recommendation and lay out guidelines and a plan to administer the shots. The CDC should clearly identify the various immunocompromised groups such as cancer patients, organ recipients and HIV folks. There are about 3 million immunocompromised Americans about 3% of the population. Interestingly, this group is accounting for a substantive portion of the breakthrough cases which makes perfect sense. The media focus will be on the CDC and Director Walensky tomorrow. Fauci appears on the evening news shows proclaiming, "We are assuming that sooner or later we will have to give boosters (to the general population)." For now, the FDA and CDC say booster shots will only be available to the immunocompromised and not yet needed by the public. Everyone sees what is coming. The mRNA are 3-shot vaccines. For the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines, the second shot occurs 3 or 4 weeks after the first shot although medical studies are indicating a 10-week period in between the shots is best. The third shot then follows about 6 months later. Studies from Israel and others indicate the mRNA vaccines lose effectiveness after 5 to 7 months. Israel has already started a booster (third shot) campaign available to citizens over 60 years of age and at least 5 months beyond the second shot. Check that. Israel now lowers the age to 50 for booster shots so their third shot campaign is progressing swimmingly. America will be heading down the same path so for all of you vaccinated folks, count 6 months forward from when you had the second shot and that is likely when you will need a booster. Time will tell. The news shows continue showing overweight and obese people in the hospital suffering from China Flu. The doctors are shooting the monoclonal antibodies to the folks and they are recovering. Every single patient in every news story this evening is heavy. Every one. If you are weight-challenged, consider a vaccine. Open your eyes, look at your thighs, put down the fries, otherwise, if heavy, you may meet your demise.
Note Added Friday Morning, 8/13/21, at 2:00 AM EST: The US reports 143.5K daily new cases above Wednesday's 141.9 daily cases. It could be worse. Going from 142K to 144K is in keeping with a potential topping process. Today's data should be the highest of the week so it would be great if the daily cases come in below 142K. Above 144K paints the picture for several more days of misery ahead. 660 Americans die yesterday the deaths are elevated. Damn. Florida reports 24.9K daily new cases for yesterday, sadly, another new record high for the pandemic. Where's DeSantis? Bueller? DeSantis? 18 Floridians die yesterday so it is good that the deaths are falling and remaining low; DeSantis will tout the low deaths and ignore the record high cases taxing the hospitals while the democrat media will brow-beat the governor on the daily cases spinning out of control ignoring the low death count. Patients are likely getting shot with the monoclonal antibodies so death numbers are dropping. These monoclonal antibody treatments need to get into Mississippi and Louisiana faster to save lives. Texas daily cases back off for a day but the state remains a disaster with the border crisis. 140 Texans die yesterday a big number and the most since March. Texas needs the monoclonal antibody treatments for their patients as well. The governors in the southern states should be working feverishly on getting these treatments to people but everyone is too busy playing political baby games. It would be valuable data to know how many patients in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida hospitals are receiving monoclonal antibody treatments. Do you want to bet that the treatments are only used sparingly in the first three states but are probably in widespread use in Florida. Inquiring minds want to know.
Note Added Friday Morning, 8/13/21, at 2:30 AM EST: California crosses the 4.1 million total cases milestone more than many countries. Fortunately, California's daily cases are remaining in check and not moving higher. New York is in trouble topping 5K daily new cases yesterday the highest of the current wave. This is a bad development since it will likely impact the economy and financial institutions in the state. On the positive side, deaths remain low in New York. Damn. Pennsylvania's firewall folds like a cheap suit. The Keystone State reports 2.5K daily new cases the most of the current wave. It is a slap in the face but hopefully, the daily cases will be quickly spanked-down. The Alabama and Louisiana daily cases charts are the test cases to see how quickly the delta wave rolls over and both states continue reporting less cases than their peaks a few days ago. Washington and Oregon are in bad shape with daily cases at record levels. The ports are probably generating a lot of cases. Illinois reports 3.1K daily cases below the peak the day before at 3.9K cases. This is the Lollapalooza window for infections to show up and the news is encouraging. If the cases remain below the top and drift lower, Lollapalooza is not a superspreader. It will be good to know today's number. Initial data shows about 200 cases linked to Lollapalooza which is nothing considering the 400K that attended the multi-day event. By this metric, Lollapalooza is not a superspreader event and it portends well for other big events ongoing or planned.
Note Added Friday Morning, 8/13/21, at 2:45 AM EST: China's outbreak continues as they perform millions of tests daily. People in the infected zones in China have had a half-dozen or more tests already. China's woes will impact the global economy. There were about 400 China Flu cases in China in July and about 900 thus far this month if you trust the numbers (the cases are likely far higher). The communists need to work a little harder on their zero-covid policy. Japan reports 16K daily cases matching the record high a few days ago. Damn. Thailand reports 23K daily new cases the most ever. Ditto Malaysia reporting 22K daily cases. These two nations, and others in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam, continue to get hammered relentlessly. The new record cases indicate that hospitals must be completely overrun and unable to handle the pandemic. That means oxygen supplies are likely low or non-existent in some areas. That means folks are dying slowly suffocating to death. South Korea is unable to control its outbreak reporting 2.2K daily cases the most ever. South Korea was heralded as one of the best nations at handling the pandemic but now they are in shambles. The global semiconductor shortage is about to get worse with South Korea's pandemic worsening. Iran remains at record cases. Afghanistan is in decent shape pandemic-wise but the country falls into chaos after the United States ends the war pulling out troops. It looks like Saigon in 1975. The Taliban are taking over the cities as the US backs away. The chaos and mass exodus by refugees will surely spread COVID-19 in the Afghanistan region but of course, the virus is the least of anyone's worries. In Kabul, people are praying like crazy to Allah, while others are praying like mad to God, hoping they live to see the morning sun. Guatemala continues reporting elevated cases. Beautiful Martinique goes into lockdown sending tourists home after reporting the highest cases of the pandemic. Oh no. Mexico reports 22.7K daily new cases the highest ever. This portends worse news for Texas. Southern border state Arizona reports nearly 3K daily new cases the highest of the current wave so the Mexico infections are filtering into the Grand Canyon State. Whoa. New Mexico, another border state, reports a huge spike in daily new cases to 1.3K the highest since January doubling recent numbers. New Mexico and Arizona need to rally their citizens to combat the delta scourge or they are going to look like Florida and Texas in a couple weeks.
Note Added Friday Morning, 8/13/21, at 3:00 AM EST: Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger lashes out at folks that are not vaccinated and those not wearing masks proclaiming, "You're a schmuck for not wearing a mask." He says, "Screw your freedom." Does anyone think the name-calling garbage is helpful in increasing vaccinations or encouraging mask-wearing? It is not. You can hear millions of Americans collectively responding, "F&#$ You." CNN host Don Lemon repeats the derogatory remarks calling anyone unvaccinated "schmucks." Does anyone think this constant daily bashing of unvaccinated people is helpful to society in any way? Everybody always knew that 20% or so of Americans would not take the vaccine so why the big surprise? The problem is not planning for this outcome. Interestingly, negative rhetoric only serves to cement people's positions, especially those that do not like to be told what to do, and this is proven in the statistics. The name-calling and derogatory remarks directed at unvaccinated people do not encourage people to get vaccinated but instead likely contribute to the now 30% of Americans that are holding off on taking the vaccine. The messaging from the CDC, the Whitehouse under both Trump and Biden, and from the medical talking heads, has failed miserably and the negativity is probably cementing people's attitudes to never get the vaccine when they were actually open to getting a shot and only wanted to wait a little while.
Note Added Friday Morning, 8/13/21, at 5:00 AM EST: News reports say the southern states are proactive in increasing the use of monoclonal antibody treatment. That is excellent news since the deaths will likely decrease and many folks will recover quickly. It was common sense to put more eggs in the monoclonal antibody treatment basket for the southern states currently under siege since anyone getting vaccinated now will not be fully protected for 6 more weeks. The monoclonal antibodies will save lives immediately, right now, in real-time. Regeneron is one treatment that was used to save former President Trump's life. UPMC Pittsburgh is having success with monoclonal antibodies and has lots of drugs in the refrigerator that can be sent south quickly. More patients receiving the treatments will save more lives and provide more data a win-win situation. Airbnb, the lodging company, reports less bookings because people are worried about the Delta variant. Traveling is put on hold which is not good for the economy. DoorDash reports steady business so people are staying home and some are using the food delivery services.
Note Added Friday Morning, 8/13/21, at 9:30 AM EST: The Whitehouse tries to spin the border crisis saying thousands of illegal migrants entering the southern border are being sent back out of the country. The border crisis is spinning out of control and driving the coronavirus cases higher in the southern states. 212K migrants cross the border last month a 21-year high and thousands are testing positive for COVID-19. Biden told everyone to come in because the democrats figure most will vote for their tribe and help them win elections. Republicans take a harder line at the southern border because they do not want a limitless flow of new democrat voters entering the US especially if they turn solid red Texas (a republican-dominant state) blue (democrat). WHO is asking for a second probe into the origin of COVID-19. That's laughable. The first investigation was a farce; a complete joke. The WHO and other officials were wined and dined by the communists during the investigation and given a token tour of the empty wet market where the filthy CCP says the pandemic began due to an animal to human transmission. The communists then patted the WHO on the behind and told them to say the lab leak did not happen. Coronavirus likely occurred due to a leak from the Wuhan Laboratories and China owes reparations to every country on earth. The communists will lie until the day they die but the nearly 200 countries on earth will join together and pay China a visit. The WHO lays in bed with the CCP each evening, comingling on red satin sheets, performing acts that would make Caligula blush. There needs to be investigations into the origin of coronavirus in Wuhan, China, but the WHO does not deserve a second bite at the apple. Those bozo's can sit in the back of the room and provide some input but should not be lead investigators; they have been proven untrustworthy. The WHO blew there chance. Director-General Tedros can be very helpful, however. He can pick up and deliver coffee or pizza when it is needed by the real investigators actually trying to determine the origin of coronavirus.
Note Added Friday Morning, 8/13/21, at 11:00 AM EST: In shocking news, three Broward County, Florida, teachers kill over from COVID-19 and also a teacher's aid. The news reports say the four pass away from covid complications. Details and names are unknown although doctors say pneumonia and low oxygen levels play a part in the deaths. News reports say 3 of the 4 were unvaccinated while CNN says all 4 were unvaccinated. Hurricane Fred is dumping rain on Cuba right now and moving towards the Florida Keys, Jimmy Buffett country. The Coral Reefer Band are closing the windows and doors at the tiki bar. Florida needs heavy torrential rains right now, in the middle of the pandemic wave, like it needs a hole in its head. Florida sets up monoclonal antibody units at different locations that will quickly provide the treatments to patients in need. Governor DeSantis has been raked through the coals this week for not wanting mask or vaccine mandates. His actions making the monoclonal antibody treatments available deserves credit. Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi need to follow Florida's lead. San Antonio, Texas, says a 26-minute period occurred the other day when an ambulance was not available due to the medics tied up with coronavirus patients waiting to unload at hospitals. If you have a heart attack in that time, you will be laying on the linoleum floor in the kitchen for a while before the ambulance arrives. Stroke victims need to get to the hospital fast. New Orleans announces new restrictions where at least one vaccine shot will be needed to enter a bar or restaurant to enjoy a shot (of liquor).
Note Added Friday Afternoon, 8/13/21, at 1:45 PM EST: The CDC advisory committee recommends a third dose with the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for certain immunocompromised people. Does the word 'certain' mean anything? The CDC defines moderate and severe immunocompromised patients as organ transplant recipients, chemotherapy/cancer patients and those on other medications that suppress the immune system. Heart disease and diabetes is not included. Autoimmune patients may be eligible for the booster if the medications they take dulls their immune system. As always, everyone has to discuss their path forward with their doctor. The boosters may be shot into arms starting this weekend. The J&J vaccine is not considered in the new guidelines. One million Americans have already received an unauthorized booster dose. There are some odd folks that have taken four doses. Doctors say it is not dangerous but not recommended. Boosters for the general US population are not yet recommended. In Israel, folks over 50 years old are receiving a booster shot so this is likely in America's future especially since one of the main data sets used for the decision is the Israeli data. It is worrisome that the Israeli data indicates a rise in severe cases among the fully-vaccinated.
Note Added Saturday Morning, 8/14/21, at 3:00 AM EST: The Friday data is typically the highest of the week so it would be great to see a pullback in cases. Nope. Not going to happen. The US reports 155.3K daily new cases for Friday. The Indian B1617 variant (delta) is not showing any signs of abating. The 155K is bad news. 769 Americans die yesterday the deadliest day in 3 months. The 3-day MA trend line for US deaths prints a higher high confirming the ongoing uptrend in US deaths. Florida is tagging 2.9 million total coronavirus cases and over 40K dead. Florida reports 24K daily new cases yesterday a tick off of Thursday's 25K daily cases. Fingers are crossed that Thursday may be a peak. Interestingly, Saturday's are the largest data days over the last month for Florida so it would be encouraging and hopeful if the Sunshine State can remain sub 24K for today's cases. 29 Floridians die yesterday so the deaths remain relatively in check in Florida. The Florida hospitalization chart on the CDC COVID Data Tracker website is shocking moving higher with no end in sight although the data and chart are 2 or 3 days behind. Florida hospital admissions are elevated but trying to top-out. Texas daily new cases remain highly elevated at 18K per day for 3 of the last 4 days but at least they are not spiking wildly higher. The situation remains dire for the healthcare workers across the South. 140 Texans die Thursday and 146 on Friday the deadliest days in almost 5 months. The Texas hospitalization rate remains parabolic as previously explained. Texas hospital admissions remain parabolic so the trouble continues. Florida and Texas account for 40% of all new hospitalizations. California reports 15.3K daily cases the highest of the current wave so conditions are worsening and the higher cases helps create the boost in the US-wide numbers. Mississippi descends into covid Hell reporting over 5K daily new cases the most ever. Vaccinations are not going to do any good right now in the middle of the COVID-19 firestorm since it will take at least 6 weeks for unvaccinated folks to be protected. The southern states need to focus on other treatments including the MATH+ protocols and monoclonal antibodies if lives are to be saved. If the medical professionals shun such treatments, they are part of the problem and not the solution. There is no choice for the southern states at this juncture. Louisiana reports over 7.5K daily new cases the most ever which is very bad news since the cases have been pulling back for 2 weeks. Arkansas, Nebraska and Kansas report elevated cases. Hawaii is smacked hard reporting a huge spike higher in daily cases to 1.1K; this is not paradise. As dire as the news is above, many other states report daily cases for Friday that are below Thursday's numbers. The US wave 5 outbreak is specific to certain states while others remain relatively unimpacted. South Carolina worsens. Washington and Oregon continue reporting elevated cases and the trouble infects Idaho reporting nearly 800 daily new cases the most since January. Oregon calls up the National Guard to help with the pandemic. Arizona and New Mexico cases continue higher slapped by the double-whammy of the southern border crisis and the virus spreading north through Central America and Mexico. The US wave 5 outbreak remains very much a southern state catastrophe. With the heat and humidity this summer, folks flock inside to the air conditioning where they breathe and cough on one another while inhaling recirculated air. The northern states are faring better due to higher vaccination rates and folks spending more time outdoors in the fresh air. Cases are rising, however, in Wisconsin and Michigan. The news is not good for the US. The US daily cases numbers take a dump in this morning Cheerio's, however, America's main headache remains the southern states. A couple days ago, the HHS says 5 states, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia, have less than 10% of their ICU beds available but this morning it is down to 5%. Eight states, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas and Nevada, account for one-half of the US coronavirus cases.
Note Added Saturday Morning, 8/14/21, at 4:00 AM EST: Australia continues struggling with its outbreak. Aussies are locked down but the cases continue rising. New South Wales institutes a stay at home edict. Australia reports 414 daily new cases the highest of the current wave and most since August 2020. It is a small number compared to other nations but sometimes small numbers grow to big numbers. The countries that did a great job at handling the pandemic last year such as Australia, Japan and South Korea, are in shambles this year. Even China, where the Wuhan Virus originated, is fighting back its worst outbreak of the pandemic. It is a good thing the Olympics are over because Japan just took a terrible turn for the worse reporting a huge spike in daily cases above 19K. Japan is smacked hard by torrential rains and floods the last three days with people seeking evacuation centers which spreads the virus. Mexico reports 25K daily new cases the most ever. Daily cases remain elevated in Central America in nations such as Guatemala and Honduras. The infections spread to Mexico and now the US southern states. The virus transmission is exacerbated by the mass migration of people to the US southern border after Biden opened the floodgates. The UK happy talk may turn ugly this week. Daily cases are rising in the UK and sadly, the 3-day MA trend line for UK daily cases prints a higher high indicating that the upswing in daily cases resumes and should continue. Bad news for the Brit's. Germany reports daily cases over 5.4K for 3 days running the most in 3 months. A new wave is underway in Germany which will create headaches for Chancellor Merkel. The Philippines crosses the 30K deaths grim milestone and reports 13K daily new cases the most ever except for one day on 4/2/21. Nearly 300 Filipino's die yesterday the third deadliest day ever. The Philippines is worsening and should try to nip the new outbreak in the bud before it gets out of control. Thailand reports a record 23.4K daily new cases and cannot catch a break. Malaysia remains in trouble with daily cases elevated at 22K per day. The once in a century China Flu pandemic, that originated in Wuhan, likely from a lab leak, continues pummeling the world into submission. The world reports over 721K daily new cases a new high for the current wave and most cases since May.
Note Added Saturday Morning, 8/14/21, at 5:00 AM EST: There are 168 million Americans, 51%, fully vaccinated and over 59% with at least one dose. 72% of the US adult population (over 18 years old) has at least one dose a couple percent beyond President Biden's goal of 70% (that was missed on 7/4/21 but achieved as August started). 59% plus 10% to 30% of Americans that had the virus is a herd immunity level of 69% to 89% which may be helping to keep the current US wave 5 outbreak in check in many states. The US southern states are the big trouble spot. The US vaccination rate remains steady with a slight upward bias although the data is always several days old. The Whitehouse task force said 864K doses were given on Friday, 8/6/21, which sounded far too high at the time (it was embellished by 5%). They get a pass since the number comes in at 834K doses per day for 8/6/21. This proves that the scientists and doctors are analyzing and aware of the data in real-time but they are not updating it for the public for 2 or 3 days, sometimes more. The 7-day MA trend line on the vaccination chart stops at 8/8/21 a week ago which means none of the vaccination data is plugged into the red trend line shown on the chart. As per the 7-day average, US vaccinations are running at 648K doses per day but 580K doses per day as of Wednesday. The CDC, Whitehouse officials and television talking heads say 100 million people are eligible to be vaccinated but that number is likely more in the 75 million range. If everyone magically wanted to get vaccinated, it would take at least 3 or 4 months at the current rate. Some folks that did not want the vaccine since it was 2 shots may be steered completely away now that the mRNA vaccines are basically a 3-shot regimen for the immunocompromised and a 2-shot, plus booster at 6 months, for others. The US must shift its strategy and jump full-force in to other treatments to save lives since vaccinations will do nothing to stem the current wave in the South. It is a great opportunity to offer monoclonal antibody treatments to as many patients as possible as well as using other proven treatments such as the MATH+ protocols. Vaccinations must continue but resources may be better spent at using direct treatments in real-time to save lives. For the last 18 months, to boost the immune system and keep it 110%, all folks, especially in the South, should be taking vitamins A, C and D-3, as well as zinc, selenium and turmeric, but, as always, check with your doctor. The hospitals in the South need to shoot the patients with monoclonal antibodies and they will be dancing out of the hospital in a day or two just like King Donnie when Regeneron saved his life.
Note Added Saturday Afternoon, 8/14/21: Texas healthcare workers are overwhelmed with 96% of the ICU beds occupied. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins proclaims that there are "zero beds left for children. That means if your child's in a car wreck, if your child has a congenital heart defect or something and needs an ICU bed, or more likely if they have covid and need an ICU bed, we don't have one. Your child will wait for another child to die." Americans have a flair for the dramatic these days. Hospitalizations are approaching January levels before the vaccination rollout. Back then, 7 months ago, Texas hospitalizations peaked at about 14K patients. Currently, Texas hospitalizations are above 11K and climbing. As previously highlighted, the scary part of the hospitalization chart is the parabolic acceleration for the current wave where hospitalizations are rising at almost 4 times the rate as they did last November and December into the prior peak. Controversy erupts in Ohio after Judge Christopher Wagner orders 21-year old Brandon Rutherford to be vaccinated. Say what? Rutherford is caught with fentanyl, the deadly drug at the center of the US overdose problem the last few years, and is given 2 years probation but the judge decrees that he be shot with an emergency-authorized coronavirus vaccine as a condition of probation. The judge says fentanyl "is deadlier than the vaccine and COVID-19." Rutherford has 60 days to receive the vaccine or face 18 months jail time. Obviously, the dude is not Mr Nice Guy, as Alice would sing, but America is losing its way. It is reminiscent of the controversy years ago about sterilizing sex offenders. Rutherford said he will not take the shot so the drama will play out over the next couple months. Haiti has been recovering from its last COVID-19 wave for about a month but are smacked with a strong earthquake that kills over 1,300 people. Coronavirus cases will likely rise in Haiti as people seek shelter and rescuers search for survivors.
Note Added Saturday Evening, 8/14/21: The Tampa Bay Times reports that nearly 1,000 COVID-19 cases are reported during the first week of classes at Tampa Bay, Florida, area schools including Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando and Pinellas. Kids are showing up at school infected which spreads the virus and causes quarantines. Parents and children should have been given better instructions, US-wide, on how to prepare their kids for school (testing, monitoring temperature, etc..., the week or two before school begins). Over 4.5K students, teachers and others associated with the school system are in quarantine. In a school system with over 400K students, and far more people that provide support services to the schools, about 1,000 cases and 5,000 people in quarantine for a week or so, if this is the worst of it, may not be so bad. A rise in coronavirus cases is occurring in Martha's Vineyard, the playground of the rich and famous, after the Obama soiree a week ago. Some say the preparations for the event and the party last week are creating the rise in cases. Politicians and hospital officials downplay the cases and say there is no way to know why the cases are increasing (because they do not ask or trace). The officials always run cover for the wealthy class that play at Martha's Vineyard since they bring huge money into the community. Obama's party may not be a superspreader, but it is a safe bet that about a half-thousand people involved with, or attending, the bash are generating at least a spreader event. America is the land of the elite privileged, that live by one set of rules, and the peons, the rest of the population, that must live under another. The wealthy class financially raped America over the last five decades which leads to the ongoing collapse of the crony capitalism system.
Note Added Sunday Morning, 8/15/21, at 5:00 AM EST: The US reports 71.1K daily new cases for Saturday an expected lower number. The 155K cases on Friday are the high for wave 5 thus far. If the high number occurred on any other day of the week it would represent big trouble ahead but since it was on a Friday, when the highest numbers of the week typically occur, it only represents tentative trouble. 258 Americans die from China Flu yesterday. Dear Lord. Florida reports 26K daily new cases for yesterday the most ever and it is a weekend number where the cases should be a bit lower. Kids returning to school are likely creating the pop in cases. Georgia reports 7.2K daily new cases an elevated number signaling more pain ahead for the Peach State. The Carolina's are smacked hard with new cases; perhaps it is the travelers and vacationers seeking the warm sand on the beaches. New Jersey takes a turn for the worse with 2.6K daily new cases yesterday the highest since April. Despite worsening conditions in New Jersey, democrat Governor Murphy hops on a jet taking a vacation to his lavish estate in Italy, which is under a coronavirus travel advisory. Rules for thee and not for me. Do as I say not as I do. Murphy institutes a mask mandate as he says, "Ciao." This behavior fuels the coming class war. Will Murphy cut the trip short and return to 'Joisey' in shame? The American hypocrisy is on full display daily. The republican media highlights the incidents of powerful democrats making rules that they do not follow themselves. Rules for thee and not for D (democrats). There are wall to wall people on the Atlantic City, New Jersey, boardwalk enjoying the start of a 3-day concert with the Phish band (Grateful Dead wannabe's). The event will likely further accelerate the daily new cases in the state. Michigan reports another high in cases. Arizona and New Mexico cases remain elevated due to the border crisis and Mexico's record-setting cases. Cases remain elevated in Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Rhode Island, Delaware and Vermont although many have not updated their data over the last couple days. The coastal states are seeing a bigger rise in cases and that is likely due to summer travelers, mostly vaccinated, spreading virus. All other US states not mentioned show Saturday's cases lower than Friday's which is what is expected and wanted. The main trouble spots are Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Trouble is ramping-up in the coastal states that are receiving lots of visitors including North and South Carolina, New Jersey, Delaware and New York on the East Coast, and Washington, Oregon and California on the West Coast. People want to breathe the ocean air in the summertime. Wisconsin cases pop higher and Michigan cases remain elevated as people enjoy the summer fun on the Great Lakes.
Note Added Sunday Morning, 8/15/21, at 6:00 AM EST: Russia crosses the 6.6 million total COVID-19 cases milestone. The Philippines is deteriorating reporting 14K daily new cases teasing the record for the most ever. The trouble in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand migrates to the Philippines. Japan deteriorates reporting over 20K daily new cases yesterday. South Korea finally reports a couple days of daily cases coming off the peak. Kazakhstan has been a disaster for a couple months and continues to report elevated cases and deaths a sign that the medical care is sorely lacking. Guatemala remains in bad shape. Mexico cases remain at record levels for the pandemic negatively impacting the US southern border states.
Note Added Sunday Morning, 8/15/21, at 8:00 AM EST: Florida implements mobile monoclonal antibody units for anyone infected with coronavirus during the first 10 days of the illness. If you are sick with covid in Florida, immediately look into this option since a vaccination will not help you now. The other southern states need to immediately employ the same strategy if they want to save lives. The booster shots for the immunocompromised do not require a doctor's approval; it is on the honor system. The Whitehouse and CDC are performing a nudge, nudge, wink, wink, know what I mean, know what I mean, strategy, putting blinders on as anyone that wants a third shot rolls up their sleeves. It is tacit approval. Older vaccinated folks, mainly democrats, wrap expensive sweaters around their necks, jump into their Tesla's, and speed to the doctor's office to receive the booster shots, shaking their fist and middle-finger's at the anti-vaxxer's along the way. Hundreds of fake CDC vaccination cards are confiscated at the Memphis Airport (Tennessee). A black market grows in people counterfeiting documents that allow unvaccinated folks to enter the same buildings and events that vaccinated folks enjoy (while staying unvaccinated).
Note Added Sunday Morning, 8/15/21, at 9:00 AM EST: The media is reporting on a WSJ story that says a record number of 30 to 39 year old's are hospitalized. Nope. They're not. The article should have been clearer in stating that they are referencing hospital admissions. The CDC charts clearly show that hospitalizations remain below the January peaks for the age groups. However, the 30-39 year age group does show record highs for the hospital admissions. Upon further inspection, so does the 40-49 year old's, and the 18-29 year old's, and the 0-17 year old's. The 50-59, 60-69 and 70+ age groups are at hospitalization admissions below the January peak. Higher admissions will lead to higher hospitalizations. The older folks have either died, got vaccinated or survived covid. Now the Wuhan Virus seeks out the younger, more active targets, especially since Americans have had a false sense of security after the mask rules were relaxed in mid-May. There is likely far more spread occurring due to vaccinated carriers than the CDC or Whitehouse will admit at this time.
Note Added Sunday Afternoon, 8/15/21: 73-year old Cardinal Burke Archbishop of St Louis, tests positive for China Flu a few days ago and is now on a ventilator. Oddly, news reports do not say if he was vaccinated. Fauci appears on the "Face the Nation" Sunday Morning news show (CBS; democrat media) to pontificate on coronavirus. Of course he does. Lord Fauci discusses booster shots for the general public. He declares, "So it turns out, as the data come in, we see we do need to give an additional dose to people in nursing homes, actually, or people who are elderly, we will be absolutely prepared to do that very quickly." Boosters, or more correctly a third shot for the immunocompromised, are underway, and it is obvious that the CDC and Whitehouse will likely target healthcare and nursing home workers for boosters, then work down through the age groups following Israel's lead. Florida republican Governor DeSantis has been selling, "Don't Fauci My Florida" promotional items to raise campaign funds. The Rendezvous Sports Bar and Grill in Minnesota is selling tee shirts that say, "Don't Fauci My Minnesota." The tee's are selling like hotcakes probably mostly to republicans. Before long, there may be similar tee shirts for sale in other states, especially the red (republican-leaning) ones, taking pokes at Fauci.
Note Added Monday Morning, 8/16/21, at 4:00 AM EST: The US reports 31K daily new cases a low number and welcome sight far off the 155K peak on Friday, but it is the Sunday number. Nonetheless 31K is a lower number than would be expected. Saturday was 71K daily cases so an expectation would have been for around 40K or 50K for Sunday. Hope springs eternal that the US wave 5, characterized by the India B1617 variant (delta), will roll over and die. There are hopeful signs. The 7-day MA trend line for US daily new cases has rolled over lower for the last couple days. A golf clap is in order. Also, the 3-day MA has made a lower low. It was hoped that Louisiana would continue reporting lower cases off the 7/27/21 top and serve as the test case for the delta wave proving it is fast-moving with a spike in cases followed by a quick retreat, however, that is not the case. On Friday, Louisiana's cases jumped to 7.5K a new high for its ongoing wave 4. But when one door closes, another opens. Missouri was the initial battle zone and ground zero for the Delta variant. Missouri and Alabama may be the two states that serve as poster children for how the delta wave will move through each US state. Missouri peaks with 4.5K daily new cases on 8/4/21 which is 12 days ago. Very good news. In addition, Missouri's 3-day MA prints a lower low and a lower high and is now coming down again hopefully for another lower low. In Alabama, daily cases peak on 8/10/21, last Tuesday, almost a week ago, so that trend of lower daily cases needs to continue. Missouri and Alabama may display the characteristic inverted V shape for the current delta wave that has appeared in other nations such as UK, Spain and Netherlands. That pattern would lay the groundwork for other states to follow. Americans need to take a chill pill and stop tearing each other's throats out. Life is too short. Conditions may improve this week.
Note Added Monday Morning, 8/16/21, at 5:00 AM EST: The world's daily new cases chart reports the highest daily number for the current worldwide fifth wave on Friday, however, it is only marginally higher than the previous high and the 7-day MA has rolled over lower for the last two days. This is good news but a more sustainable path lower will be needed for a few days before any confetti can be thrown for Mother Earth. 819 Ruskies die on Saturday and 816 yesterday the deadliest days of the pandemic. Where's dirtbag Dictator Putin? Bueller? Putin? Bueller? Japan reports 20K daily new cases for 3 consecutive days the highest ever. Malaysia continues reporting daily cases at the highest levels for the pandemic. Prime Minister Muhyiddin resigns as the pandemic crushes the economy. Thailand vows to continue its coronavirus restrictions imposed on the public until the pandemic subsides. Conditions are improving in Thailand but the daily cases remain at elevated levels. Israel cases are dropping so perhaps their current wave is forming the inverted V shape and cases will be in retreat this week. Portugal crosses the 1 million total cases milestone and continues to report less cases than the 7/21/21 peak. Portugal is trying to salvage the tourist season and having some success but the Delta variant scared many away. Portugal hotels, bars and restaurants ask for proof of vaccination or negative tests so they remain financially afloat by asking for "your papers, please." Mexico remains a complete mess reporting the highest daily cases of the pandemic and that wave of infection is smacking Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and southern California.
Note Added Monday Morning, 8/16/21, at 6:00 AM EST: The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota draws to a close. The stereotypical drunken and hungover biker's saddle-up and ride back to their home states. Republican Governor Noem says the rally is "a fantastic event" making no apologies for holding the largest motorcycle rally in the US each year. The rally brings millions of dollars into South Dakota as well as coronavirus. 700K people have attended the event over the last 10 days. South Dakota cases are at about 125 per day for 8/5/21 through 8/11/21, which is not a big deal, but the state is not releasing additional data as yet. Considering the 7 to 10 day incubation period, South Dakota, and anyone that got infected, should start to see signs of COVID-19 now so the rally's status as a superspreader event remains in limbo until the numbers are brought up to date through this coming week. Noem appears on Fox News (republican media) proclaiming, "I think it's interesting that ..... the democrats, who embrace getting abortion on demand, are accusing us (republicans) of embracing death when we're just allowing people to make personal choices and have personal responsibility over when they want to assemble, when they want to gather and spend time outdoors enjoying their way of life." The US is failing because people place their allegiance to one of the two corrupt political tribes above their allegiance to America. The young people are smart; nearly half are shunning both tribes and instead registering to vote as independents. They are smart enough to see the political sleaze.
Note Added Monday Afternoon, 8/16/21: A stabbing occurs at an anti-vaccine rally in Los Angeles a day ago. Other groups were protesting including anti-mandate people and anti-vaccine passport demonstrators. There were also protesters demonstrating against the anti-vaxxer's. It's a powder keg and boom. A brawl breaks out with fists flying and people tumbling onto the concrete. In the melee, a man is stabbed and rushed to the emergency room but he is released from the hospital a short time ago. The attacker remains on the loose. Pfizer and BioNTech submit trial data to the FDA hoping to get approval for booster shots. A third shot is shown to produce 'significantly higher neutralizing antibodies'. The official line from the medical officials, CDC and Whitehouse is that boosters are not needed for the general public but everyone sees what is coming down the line. Even Lord Fauci admits that everyone will probably need a booster in the weeks and months ahead. Schools are opening up and some parents could have done a better job at making sure their children were ready health-wise. After only a few days, over 10K students and teachers are in quarantine in 14 states. President Biden offers cash to Florida schools that disobey Governor DeSantis's mandates. The news media takes a break from coronavirus coverage to provide near wall-to-wall news stories on the collapse of Afghanistan. The Afghanistan exit is exactly like Saigon in 1975. Biden is sleeping on the job.
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