Ever since the pandemic started, we've all heard and lived by certain numbers and rules for coping with the virus.
It has become apparent that these 'rules of numbers' no longer work and we should stop thinking they do.
We've learned a lot about this virus in 2 and 1/2 years. Let's adapt to it before it kills us all.
The numbers are guidelines. Best guesses. Some of them have been updated and others have not. The reality is that we cannot live our lives according to infinitesimals. And we certainly cannot shepherd public health behaviors without signposts and catchy phrases. If we give the public the full scientific spectrum health research, they will throw up their hands instead of following recommendations for "after 50."
It is pretty difficult to adapt to a virus that is mutating. The flu virus is such a hit and miss they add extra strains, hoping one might be correct and some years they are sometimes only 10% effective. Given that a bad flu season can kill 50,000 people in the United States alone, "10% to 60% protection is better than nothing." That kind of adapting? https://www.science.org/content/article/why-flu-vaccines-so-often-fail 'Despite the virus's sluggish mutation rate, researchers have catalogued more than 12,000 mutations in SARS-CoV-2 genomes.' (That was only for Sept 2020... I cannot find a number other than the estimated exponential mutation rates) You only hear about the variants of concernand we can't even adapt to those when a new one takes over... https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02544-6
200k cases were reported in the US yesterday. And it is likely 10 times higher. Yes, of course the mitigation procedures work! People just wore their masks on their chin or under their nose, and often wore one piece of cloth rather than the recommended 3 layer, and everything is pretty well open and a free for all now so 2 doses is still fully vaxxed in the states for children. If you mean that the CDC is not keeping up and keeping people informed, you would be correct.
FYI you are passing on an opinion piece by a science writer. SHE HAS NOT WORKED IN THE FIELD ! "She holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from Harvard University. Before joining The Atlantic in 2021." Ack!
NYC has an advisory ...going back to basics. I doubt it will work. Anyone who is remaining diligent is going to wear an N95 mask and keep up to date.
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I am pretty sure that the healthcare workers are tired of tryin gto adapt. Many have not had a vacation in 2 years.
CODE RED Hawaii: ‘On June 2, 800 front-line workers across the state called out sick with COVID-19, leaving a worrisome shortage of staff as an influx of COVID-positive patients arrived in need of care. Some hospital departments have found traveling nurses to alleviate the shortage, but many are still struggling to manage increasing caseloads.' https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/06/03/amid-surge-hawaiis-frontline-continues-experience-staff-shortages/
CODE RED Huge waves hitting USA and Canada just as the testing sites are closing and during a pandemic everything is open and full and mostly unmasked. “Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities have had the least access to COVID-19 testing sites over the course of the pandemic, a trend that has continued to be a factor in disparate rates of infection.” https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/6/18/2103387/-How-are-marginalized-communities-faring-with-the-new-COVID-wave
CODE RED June 3 Florida's COVID positivity rate is nearly 20%, the highest it has been since the end of the omicron surge. Florida reports 71,797 new COVID cases. https://t.co/UZFt4WG7RB