From Worldometer (new COVID-19 deaths yesterday):
DAY USA WORLD Brazil India South Africa
June 9 1093 4732 1185 246 82
July 22 1205 7128 1293 1120 572
Aug 12 1504 6556 1242 835 130
Sept 9 1208 6222 1136 1168 82
Oct 21 1225 6849 571 703 85
Nov 25 2304 12025 620 518 118
Dec 30 3880 14748 1224 299 465
Jan 14 4142 15512 1151 189 712
Feb 3 4005 14265 1209 107 398
Mar 2 1989 9490 1726 110 194
April 6 906 11787 4211 631 37
May 4 853 13667 3025 3786 59
June 1 287 10637 2346 3205 95
July 7 251 8440 1595 817 411
Aug 4 656 10120 1118 532 423
Sept 22 2228 9326 839 279 124
29 2190 8859 643 309 108
Oct 6 2102 8255 543 315 59
19 2005 7528 401 160 80
27 1594 8671 433 734 62
Nov 3 1436 7830 186 458 23
24 1594 8270 176 396 22
Dec 1 1633 8475 266 477 28
8 1324 7894 231 159 36
17 1653 7359 126 289 35
22 1634 7686 137 434 99
23 1149 6942 100 374 75
29 1777 7393 147 268 81
Summary:
- My, oh my. Not only did we swamp the world in deaths, we had an all-time high 465,670 new cases.
- #2 in new deaths was Russia with 932, about half that of the USA, and #3 Poland with 793.
- However, new deaths/million:
- U.S. 5.32
- Russia 6.38
- Poland 20.98
- South Africa 1.34
- UK 0.83
- Greece had 2799 new cases per million.
- U.S.? 1394.
- New York 3465
- New Hampshire 1215
- Delaware 1118
- Hawaii 1115
- DC 2017
- Puerto Rico 2412
- Denmark 3797
- South Africa 149
- Japan 2.9.
- Taiwan 0.56
- China 0.14
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Just got this alarming information from the Star Advertiser:
I never expected us to get that high, for our previous peak in earlier waves was less than half that number. Yet, there were again (three out of past four days) ZERO deaths. To compare:
- Hawaii is now at 2429 cases/million.
- Looking above:
- Way below Denmark at 3797 and New York at 3465.
- Just below Greece at 2799.
- Much worse than the USA at 1394.
- 838 times worse than Japan.
- 43,375 worse than Taiwan.
- Hawaii is now averaging around 1 new death/day. Compared to others in new deaths/million:
- Hawaii 0.71
- USA 5.32
- Poland 21
- World 0.95
- Hawaii's positivity rate has been inching up, now at 14%, the same as the U.S.
- According to WHO, the pandemic is under control at 5%.
- A scary development is that most of the countries in southern Africa seem to be at 20% and higher. Even South Africa is still at 29%.
- Germany and Norway are at 18%.
- Japan is at 0.5%, and many countries of the Orient are also below 1%.
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The USA is being seriously impacted by the Omicron variant, but it is worse so for Europe. However, note how quickly South Africa and the UK declined in new cases and new deaths. The Orient seems to be skipping the Omicron variant. Why???
From the New York Times this morning, comparing New York and Florida, it appears that this Omicron variant is hitting harder, but without the hospitalizations and deaths as the Delta variant:
More and more, certain locations and venues are requiring the vaccine mandate to include a booster shot. Here are arguments for either side of this issue. No doubt that a booster can make a big difference in contracting any variant of COVID-19, but one point of view is that the standard two shots for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and one for Johnson&Johnson's, are sufficient to prevent hospitalization and death. It is more important for the whole world to be protected before another more dangerous variant peaks. However, the CDC has issued a statement recommending a booster for anyone eligible, I while this might sound unhumanitarian, I agree. Israel and some other countries are mulling second booster.
- Vermont, Rhode Island and Maine lead the nation in being fully vaccinated at 76/77%.
- Southern states, Idaho and Wyoming are the lowest, below 50%.
The CDC announced another confusing decision: if asymptomatic, you can return to society in five instead of ten days. They should have further said you can resume your life in five days if asymptomatic and with a negative test. But which test?
Two primary tests are use:
- Rapid test detect antigens and are not too accurate, but can provide results in 15 minutes or so. False negatives regularly occur for asymptomatic patients.
- The other more accurate test is PCR, for polymerase chain reaction. This can take days to get a result.
There is a third test called Antibody Serology Test which detects antibodies in your body, but is not considered to be diagnostic.
Regarding at-home rapid tests:
- Best: QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test at CVS
- Nasal swab.
- Place in solution tube and swirl.
- Remove swab.
- Dip detection strip.
- Read results, pink or blue, but somewhat confusing as to what is what.
- Two tests to be taken two or three days apart, for a total cost of $24.
- Not FDA approved, but okayed for emergency use, whatever that means.
Take three days before seeing your family or exposing others. If both tests are negative, there is a good chance you are safe. If even one positive, watch out. If both positive, quarantine yourself or 5 days if asymptomatic, or 10 days if with symptoms. Read CDC's latest announcement.
Here is one review of the best at-home PCR tests, which you need to mail out for results:
- Best of the Best: DxTerity
- Saliva, or non invasive.
- But can take a long time to get results.
- $85/test.
- Best Bang for the Buck: Amazon
- Nasal test.
- Meets travel requirement in U.S., except Hawaii.
- $40/test.
- Top Pick: BinaxNOW
- Nasal swab.
- Not accepted by CDC for travel requirements.
- $7/test.
First, don't travel. Second, if you do, it is still confusing about what you need to do. So read this article:
- The requirement in the U.S. is anyone over the age of 2 to submit a negative COVID-19 test taken within one day of departure. Good luck on this being easy to get.
- The CDC today accepts Abbott's BinaxNow (great for international travel... but watch out for the expiration date--and be careful about the keeping in hot weather), Ellume's Home Test and Qured's rapid antigen test.
- To quote:
You can buy a six-pack testing kit through eMed for $150, which also allows for next business day delivery for orders processed and approved by 6 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday.
You can also purchase the same test through Optum, which charges $70 for a two-pack or $100 for three. Optum also sells a single test for $50 that is currently out of stock online.
All the above appears to apply for air and cruise travel.
Finally, what about those tests promised by the White House?
- Those with health insurance should be able to get reimbursed.
- For those without insurance, tens of millions of free tests will be made available to community centers.
- Not quite sure when this program will take effect, as medical plans in the past did not end up paying for your at-home tests, which ran from $15 to $40, and these previous ones will not be covered by this new plan.
- Also not certain which tests will be available.
- Alaska just experienced its warmest December day in recorded history: 67F.
- Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York has been postponed to later in the year.
- Biden and Putin had a phone chat this afternoon.
- Yesterday the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit another all time high, rising 90 to 36,489. However, the Dow fell 91 today.
About my life, I've decided to just stay home until next year. However, I did make an end of year visit to the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Punchbowl:
We had a bento lunch from Ray's at Punchbowl with this view:
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