World on brink of fourth wave of coronavirus

[nitpicker]

https://hehill.com/homenews/state-watch/541825-world-on-brink-of-fourth-wave-of-coronavirus

World on brink of fourth wave of coronavirus
BY REID WILSON - 03/07/21 11:00 AM EST 320

A year after the frightening beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the world stands on the brink of a fourth wave of infection as nations race to vaccinate their populations and stave off a new surge in hospitalizations and deaths.

Total reported cases rose across the globe in the last week of February after six weeks of decline, driven in part by new, more virulent variants that transmit between people at startlingly higher rates than the initial strains out of Wuhan, China, and northern Italy.
(snip)

The United States recorded about 66,000 new cases a day over the last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), down 73 percent from the apex reached in early January and similar to levels of transmission from October. But the precipitous decline of late January and early February has plateaued in recent days, raising fears that a new wave is just around the corner.
(snip)

CDC forecasts show the number of weekly deaths dropping through the rest of March and into April, though the number of deaths will continue at a horrible cost of thousands of lives.

Some models show an increase in cases just around the corner. One model maintained by the PolicyLab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia shows reproduction rates — the measure of how many people are infected by someone who has the virus — rising in three quarters of the counties surveyed. States in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest showed higher transmission rates last week.

Several states have loosened restrictions on businesses and gatherings imposed over the summer, even though infections continue at higher levels today than when those mandates were initially put in place.
(snip)

“If we’re a little bit too capricious in this in between phase, we can really lengthen this [pandemic] out,” said David Rubin, who runs PolicyLab. “A lot of people very close to the finish line before they’re offered vaccinations can be infected.”
(snip)

[Hugin]

1. Yup, on to the next dominant strain. n/t

[Irish_Dem]

7. One step forward, two steps back.

Seems like we are never going to get a handle on this virus.

[Hugin]

8. Two things are currently giving me hope.

Last edited Mon Mar 8, 2021, 05:36 AM - Edit history (1)

Surprisingly, one of them is not the ongoing vaccinations. At my place in the line that's too abstract to enter into my personal calculus. The Gordian knot created by the former administration's using the vaccines as a political chit and pushing the responsibility down the chain last Fall has soured me on the distribution. I think President Biden and our new representatives will work it out, but, precious time is being lost reigning in the beast that has become.

No, my main hopes lie in that new administration taking a proactive and science based approach to the crisis along with the minor belief that at least we don't have a crazy homicidal maniac flying around the country encouraging thousands of trumpanzees to hoot into each other's unmasked faces. We'll still see ill advised gatherings causing spikes, nothing like those were. I'm confident the rallies were causing a significant spike in the infections and may have led to some of the problems with variant spreading and mutation now.

[Irish_Dem]

9. Yes of course, Biden is the game changer. He is a good reason for hope.

But yes I agree, it feels like a clock is ticking and we have lost so much time.

[Irish_Dem]

10. PS

BTW you are a fabulous writer.

[Hugin]

2. P.S. Your link is broken.

Add the "t" to "hehill".

[nitpicker]

3. updated link

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/541825-world-on-brink-of-fourth-wave-of-coronavirus

[Hugin]

4. ...

Good to go.

[SheltieLover]

5. K&R!

[tanyev]

6. I've never felt like the first wave ever ended.

Especially here in Texas.