Edmund Schweppe (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
edschweppe) wrote2022-01-21 05:42 pm
edschweppe) wrote2022-01-21 05:42 pm
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Local COVID-19 updates
As of 5PM today, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is reporting 102 newly reported confirmed deaths (16 more than yesterday - up 18.6%) for a total of 20,884 deaths, 13,935 newly reported confirmed cases (449 less than yesterday - down 3.1%) for a total of 1,418,149 cases, and 134,317 newly reported molecular tests (7,062 more than yesterday - up 5.5%).The seven day average positivity rate is 13.70%, compared to 15.03% yesterday. The state also reported 5 newly reported probable deaths (4 more than yesterday - up 400.0%) for a total of 518 and 2,268 newly reported probable cases (267 more than yesterday - up 13.3%) for a total of 117,837. Combining the confirmed and probable numbers gives 107 new deaths for a total of 21,402 and 16,203 new cases for a total of 1,535,986. There were 3,105 COVID-19 patients in hospital (39 less than yesterday - down 1.2%), 446 COVID-19 patients in ICUs (16 less than yesterday - down 3.5%) and 269 COVID-19 patients on ventilators (intubated) (11 less than yesterday - down 3.9%).
Of the four overview trends (formerly the Page 2 "key metrics"), the 7-day average of newly confirmed cases is 8,810.0 (593 less than yesterday - down 6.3%), 13,665% above the lowest observed value of 64.0 on 6/25/2021 and 62.0% below the highest observed value of 23,088.0 on 1/8/2022. The 7-day weighted average of positive molecular test rate is 13.70% (0 less than yesterday - down 8.8%), 4,343% above the lowest observed value of 0.3% on 6/25/2021 and 50% below the highest observed value of 27.7% on 4/15/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 patients in hospital is 3,191.0 (9 less than yesterday - down 0.3%), 3,654% above the lowest observed value of 85.0 on 7/9/2021 and 18% below the highest observed value of 3,874.0 on 4/27/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 deaths is 56.0 (7 more than yesterday - up 14.3%), 5,500% above the lowest observed value of 1.0 on 7/11/2021 and 68% below the highest observed value of 175.0 on 4/24/2020.
Statewide, hospitals reported 9,035 non-ICU beds, of which 5,796 (64.2%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 2,659 (29.4%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 580 (6.4%) remained available. Hospitals also reported 1,309 ICU beds, of which 687 (52.5%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 446 (34.1%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 176 (13.4%) remained available. By comparison, hospitals reported yesterday a total of 8,982 non-ICU beds, of which 5,675 (63.2%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 2,682 (30%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 625 (7.0%) remained available. Hospitals also reported yesterday a total of 1,316 ICU beds, of which 693 (52.7%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 462 (35.1%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 161 (12.2%) remained available.
Two weeks ago, the 7 day confirmed case average was 13,760.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 37.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 2,287.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 23.02%.
One year ago, the 7 day confirmed case average was 2,978.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 60.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 2,196.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 5.57% (or 7.10% excluding higher education).
The daily raw data file used to create this report is available here.
Deaths continue climbing; today's 102 newly reported confirmed deaths are the highest single-day report since 105 were reported on January 3, 2021. Newly reported cases and hospitalizations are down, though, as are the seven-day averages for cases, hospitalizations and percent-positive. Still, over thirteen thousand new cases reported today? Way, way too many for comfort.
Supposedly, "most" cases of COVID-19 are "mild" nowadays, courtesy of the Omicron variant. But "most" is not "all", as several people interviewed by the Boston Globe described:
The town of Acton's current Google Data Studio dashboard is showing 180 active and 2,486 cumulative cases as of January 20. The most recent "newsflash style update" at 7PM on December 21, 2021, the town reported 1538 cumulative cases with 89 individuals in isolation, 1417 recovered and 32 fatalities.
Of the four overview trends (formerly the Page 2 "key metrics"), the 7-day average of newly confirmed cases is 8,810.0 (593 less than yesterday - down 6.3%), 13,665% above the lowest observed value of 64.0 on 6/25/2021 and 62.0% below the highest observed value of 23,088.0 on 1/8/2022. The 7-day weighted average of positive molecular test rate is 13.70% (0 less than yesterday - down 8.8%), 4,343% above the lowest observed value of 0.3% on 6/25/2021 and 50% below the highest observed value of 27.7% on 4/15/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 patients in hospital is 3,191.0 (9 less than yesterday - down 0.3%), 3,654% above the lowest observed value of 85.0 on 7/9/2021 and 18% below the highest observed value of 3,874.0 on 4/27/2020. The 7-day average number of COVID-19 deaths is 56.0 (7 more than yesterday - up 14.3%), 5,500% above the lowest observed value of 1.0 on 7/11/2021 and 68% below the highest observed value of 175.0 on 4/24/2020.
Statewide, hospitals reported 9,035 non-ICU beds, of which 5,796 (64.2%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 2,659 (29.4%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 580 (6.4%) remained available. Hospitals also reported 1,309 ICU beds, of which 687 (52.5%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 446 (34.1%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 176 (13.4%) remained available. By comparison, hospitals reported yesterday a total of 8,982 non-ICU beds, of which 5,675 (63.2%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 2,682 (30%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 625 (7.0%) remained available. Hospitals also reported yesterday a total of 1,316 ICU beds, of which 693 (52.7%) were occupied by non-COVID patients, 462 (35.1%) were occupied by COVID patients, and 161 (12.2%) remained available.
Two weeks ago, the 7 day confirmed case average was 13,760.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 37.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 2,287.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 23.02%.
One year ago, the 7 day confirmed case average was 2,978.0, the 7 day confirmed deaths average was 60.0, the 7 day hospitalization average was 2,196.0, and the 7 day weighted average positivity rate was 5.57% (or 7.10% excluding higher education).
The daily raw data file used to create this report is available here.
Deaths continue climbing; today's 102 newly reported confirmed deaths are the highest single-day report since 105 were reported on January 3, 2021. Newly reported cases and hospitalizations are down, though, as are the seven-day averages for cases, hospitalizations and percent-positive. Still, over thirteen thousand new cases reported today? Way, way too many for comfort.
Supposedly, "most" cases of COVID-19 are "mild" nowadays, courtesy of the Omicron variant. But "most" is not "all", as several people interviewed by the Boston Globe described:
When COVID case counts erupted in their latest surge last month, scientists and citizens fell back on a hopeful note: The Omicron variant causes less severe illness than the virus's older iterations.
There was some solace in the realization that a mutation infecting thousands of people daily would be "mild." Fewer residents will suffer than in the heyday of the dangerous Delta variant, we thought. Not as many would end up in the hospital.
Turns out that was just partly true.
For most, it is little more than a cold. (Yes, this gave rise to a hashtag: #Omicold.) But an unlucky group has found that "mild" is — to put it mildly — something of an understatement. They're saddled with illness that hampers everyday life, including work and child-care responsibilities. Even with a full course of vaccination and a booster, their bodies are wiped out by a virus that once brought the world to its knees.
At least, that was the case for Steve Stiles.
The Salem resident tested positive in mid-December after taking "every possible precaution," including two mRNA shots, but not a booster. But COVID sparked 10-minute coughing fits and brain fog. More than a month later, the 46-year-old still feels an unnatural pressure on his chest and lungs and intense fatigue.
"All of a sudden, if I shut my eyes, I am out for hours," he said.
It's strange, Stiles added, because his oxygen levels are normal. "I envy the people who say it's come and gone in three days," he said. Because sometimes, "it's like starting over," and the symptoms are worse again.
Many people diagnosed with COVID in recent weeks experienced nothing at all. Others dealt with congestion or a cough. Some say symptoms dissipated after five days of isolation, the amount now mandated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers found that Omicron is less likely to kill a COVID patient or send them to the hospital. And even for those who are hospitalized, the virus largely remains in the nose and throat rather than the lungs, causing fewer patients to have breathing problems or need a ventilator.
Stiles — like others who spoke to the Globe — cannot confirm he was infected with the Omicron variant, because few positive samples are genetically sequenced and categorized by strain. But all those contacted contracted the virus after Omicron — which accounted for 95 percent of cases here by Jan. 5 —became dominant in Massachusetts.
The level of illness an infected person experiences comes down to a mixture of exposure and luck, said Dr. Daniel Solomon, a physician in the infectious disease division of Brigham and Women's Hospital. It depends on the amount of a virus someone came in contact with and its interaction with a host's immune response.
"There is obviously a spectrum," Solomon said. "I talked to a family last week who all got COVID. One person had no symptoms. One person had a cold. One person had a headache and brain fog for a week. And they all lived under the same roof."
One clear cost of widespread Omicron infections is the strain on the hospital system. A smaller percentage of Omicron cases require hospitalization than earlier strains of the virus, and the adoption of vaccines has pushed that percentage down even lower. But there are just so many cases right now that hospitals are overwhelmed, said Dr. Richard Schwartstein from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. So what may be "mild" for an individual could be catastrophic for the community, he added. And with positive cases and quarantines thinning already overstretched staff, health care systems are bearing the brunt of the crisis.
[ ... ]
Simply because the Omicron variant is new, there's little research about its link to long COVID, the physical, neurological, and cognitive symptoms that can persist indefinitely after infection. Solomon said some evidence indicates that vaccinated people are less likely to endure long-term symptoms, but the science is scant.
He and Schwartzstein advise against a burgeoning philosophy, where people stop taking precautions against COVID in the hopes that infection will spur herd immunity and end the pandemic. (Senator Rand Paul said Omicron is "basically nature's vaccine.")
"That's playing with fire," Schwartzstein said.
Those who contracted COVID and watched it wreak havoc on their bodies — and lives — shared simpler advice: It doesn't matter how long the pandemic has dragged on. Take the virus seriously.
The town of Acton's current Google Data Studio dashboard is showing 180 active and 2,486 cumulative cases as of January 20. The most recent "newsflash style update" at 7PM on December 21, 2021, the town reported 1538 cumulative cases with 89 individuals in isolation, 1417 recovered and 32 fatalities.