How do we know a pandemic's over?

[dann]

Of Viruses and Men

As well as English, you don't quite get irony, do you?
We absolutely removed measles as a disease by herd immunity plus vaccination, and only a small group of idiots means it's still around.
Nice of you to walk back on your attempted and idiotic conflation with HIV, though.

The Atheist still needs some clarification, so I'll have to elaborate:

1) No, 'we' absolutely did no such thing. Herd immunity by infection didn't 'remove' measles at all. Measles was a childhood disease, which the vast majority of children were infected with and for the most part survived - with or without long-term complications. Unlike SARS-CoV-2, it usually leaves survivors with life-long immunity, which they pass on to their descendants.

2) However, as explained in post 1,069, which The Atheist doesn't seem to understand, the virus didn't mutate into a milder version of itself, which becomes clear when we look at people, who weren't exposed to the weeding-out process generation after generation: They still haven't got much natural immunity, but this is not because they are "only a small group of idiots." It's an evolutionary process, and even idiots can be protected by congenital immunity passed down by their parents.

3) As for unnatural immunity, i.e. the one induced by vaccines, it is true that "a small group" of antivaxxers help keep the virus alive. However, many of the people who don't vaccinate their children aren't idiots. They are just ignorant and sometimes disinformed by professional antivaxxers who ought to know better and often do.

4) In fact, fans of natural immunity come in all shapes and sizes. One of the proponents of natural immunity over vaccination in the case of COVID-19 is The Atheist.

This article explains it well. Notice again that the virus doesn't evolve to become benign. Instead, the virus weeds out people and lets only those with a level of natural immunity survive and procreate:

The history written in our genes
Like the rings of a tree, our genetic code can tell a story about events in our ancient past.
Random mutations to our genes mean some people are naturally more susceptible than others to being infected by viruses or developing serious symptoms of disease.
For instance, a recent study found that people who carry a cluster of genes inherited from Neanderthals some 50,000 years ago have a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms.
But other mutations do the opposite, and can give us a survival edge when disease outbreaks occur.
And people with these gene variants are more likely to reproduce than others. “So what happens over several generations is the gene variants that are beneficial will rise in frequency," said study co-author Yassine Souilmi, from the University of Adelaide.
"And that leaves a very distinctive mark several generations later.”
But it takes a minimum of 500 to 1000 years for this signal of "adaptive markers" to show up in a population's genome, Dr Soulimi added.
Coronavirus epidemic broke out in East Asia around 25,000 years ago, gene study shows (ABC.net.au, June 25, 2024)

However, there is a reason why it won't happen with SARS-CoV-2 any time soon (soon, in this case, being "500 to 1000 years"): Unlike the measles virus, for the most part, it doesn't kill children. It kills mainly people beyond reproductive age, and thus it doesn't leave much of a "signal of "adaptive markers"."
For the same reason, the virus itself also doesn't gain much of an advantage by mutating into a benign version of itself. What we have seen so far is that it primarily becomes more contagious. I have lost count of how much more contagious it is nowadays than it was in early 2020, and I am not sure that anybody is still keeping track of it. Another change is that different variants appear to be better at infecting some organs rather than others. Omicron and its descendants seem to be better at infecting the gut and thus affect the gut microbiota, but it is not as if people still don't get scarred lungs, brains, hearts, kidneys etc.

Some of you may still imagine that SARS-CoV-2 is on the path to becoming benign because you have been fooled by people who ought to know better.
Beware of the people who preach the gospel even though they do know better. Some of them are well-paid for their efforts. Others are just part of a very large "group of idiots" who don't question what they are being told. Many of them are much like MAGA in this respect.


ETA: I think it is obvious that this never happened: "Nice of you to walk back on your attempted and idiotic conflation with HIV, though."
The Atheist sure enjoys his small pretend victories.

 

[The Atheist]

Meanwhile, in the real world the pandemic is so over Olympic athletes aren't barred from competing after a positive test.

I'll stick my 99.999% of people don't care.

Funny how you keep crying about media not covering covid then post links to media covering covid.

 

[dann]

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.”

Reality is also that which, when you stop caring about it, doesn't go away.

One might expect atheists to be aware of this difference:
If you stop believing in or caring about God, He goes away.
If you stop believing in or caring about gravity, however, you are in for a very unpleasant surprise.

Some athletes (and not just athletes, but they are the ones the media cares about) were in for very unpleasant surprises in Paris.

Smart Christians understand this principle even if they decide to ignore it when it comes to their belief in God.
Dumb atheists don't understand this principle even though they find it glaringly obvious in the case of religion.

Funny how The Atheist keeps crying, panicking and screeching like a banshee about "walls of text" telling him about the reality that just won't go away no matter how often he tells us he doesn't believe in it - except when even he puts on a mask to protect his own health and the health of his son.

The real problem with the "media covering covid" is that it only does so whenever there's a new surge and it can no longer be ignored. This attitude may seem like a blessing to people who are in denial of the virus and pretend that "the pandemic is so over" if only they pretend not to care, but it isn't over to people who do care and sometimes have every reason to care but are taken in by the message of the reality deniers.

(I don't recommend this channel in general. There are better ones, for instance the one I recently recommended in the other thread about the COVID-19 pandemic.)

 

[dann]

Some people will argue the pandemic isn't over in 3...2...1...

COVID-19 cases are spiking in the U.S. as a new variant spreads. Emergency room visits appear to be at the highest level since February, according to new data. Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, joins CBS News with more.

"These variants of the Omicron family, they are very, very contagious, so they are spreading very readily. Of course, we are helping that spread because we're traveling, going about our business. We're not social distancing anymore. And then on occasion, these viruses find someone who is older, frail, immune compromised, not up-to-date with the vaccines, and that's causing a spike in hospitalizations. (...) If you are six months or older in the United States, take advantage of this vaccine. Last fall, we under-vaccinated people. Lots of people did not come in for the vaccine. We are concerned that will happen again this year."
COVID cases spike as new variant strain spreads in U.S. (CBS News Health Watch on YouTube, Aug 8, 2024 - 4:03 min.)

 

[dann]

Oh ****!

Delta's back!

On July 31, Chinese media reported an increase in fever cases, and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention identified the new COVID-19 XDV variant for the first time.Real video from China (X, Aug 1, 2024)

'Tested Positive Again' Becomes Trending Term in China as Sudden Death Cases Increase
Recently, the CCP admitted the emergence of XDV, a new mutated strain of COVID-19.
Social media in China is abuzz with "tested positive again, and again". People in many places are reporting that COVID has never stopped and sudden deaths are on the rise.
These are a few screenshots of people showing their test results from Shanghai, Ningbo, and other places. Some say quite a few friends tested positive again too. Some say that they have had a fever for 3 days and nights, etc.
On June 11, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) released an update on the COVID-19 infection situation in China, introducing the XDV variant for the first time.
The announcement stated that according to the latest version, China has classified the previously detected JN.1 variant of the novel coronavirus into 47 sub-lineages, including XDV, and has named and tracked XDV separately.
Jennifer Zeng (X, Aug 5, 2024)

Reports are emerging from scientists working at the Chinese Academy of Sciences at Peking University in Beijing and also from virologists at the Pasteur Institute in Shanghai that several provinces in China are facing a new resurgence of COVID-19 infections.
(...)
What is interesting is that it is not the KP variant such as KP.2 or KP.2.3 or KP.3 or its sub-lineage KP.1.1 that is driving new surge in China but rather a new recombinant Delta and Omicron variant that is named XDV.1.
(...)
What is concerning is that these new XVD.1 variants are evolving at a rather rapid rate and spawning numerous new sub-lineages with concerning mutations and the fact that the new XVD.1 variants are driving disease severity in those infected with it.
BREAKING! Parts of China witnessing a COVID-19 resurgence driven by a new recombinant Delta and Omicron variant, XDV.1 (Thailand Medical News, Aug 8, 2024)

From thread:

Local authorities have set up screening centers and temporary clinics to manage the situation and are advising those who test positive to isolate at home.
SARS‑CoV‑2 (COVID-19) (X, Aug 9, 2024)

Although there are no lockdowns in place, checkpoints have been established in Hubei to limit unnecessary travel and curb the spread of the virus.
SARS‑CoV‑2 (COVID-19) (X, Aug 9, 2024)

However, one reply claims this:

I travelled to Hubei two days ago and encountered ZERO checkpoints. There is no visible sign of an increase of infections here nor of anybody trying to curb the spread of the virus.
I will travel back to Guangdong tomorrow and will encounter zero checkpoints again
Bernard Marx aka Simon Hume (X, Aug 9, 2024)

 

[dann]

Hurrah! Pop the champagne! It has finally become ENDEMIC!

No, it hasn't, but it's what "Aron Hall, the deputy director for science at the CDC's coronavirus and other respiratory viruses division," claims in a new NPR article.
On X, it was described like this:

This may actually be the worst, most dangerous, most illiterate article about COVID-19 I’ve ever read. It’s nothing but a laundry list of laptop class minimizers and their nonsense, as well. Truly despicable.
Pandemic Index (X, Aug 10, 2024)

I tend to disagree. It's a little hyperbolic. The article also includes statements from the pandemic opposition, which is not always the case.

But let us begin with what exactly we are celebrating:

That means, essentially, that COVID is here to stay in predictable ways.
The classification doesn't change any official recommendations or guidelines for how people should respond to the virus. But the categorization does acknowledge that the SARS-CoV2 virus that causes COVID will continue to circulate and cause illness indefinitely, underscoring the importance of people getting vaccinated and taking other steps to reduce their risk for the foreseeable future.
Is COVID endemic yet? Yep, says the CDC. Here's what that means (NPR, Aug 9, 2024)

Of course, the second half of this contradicts The Atheist's definition of when the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is over, i.e. when everybody stops caring about getting vaccinated (he recommends that wonderful natural immunity from getting infected - again and again) and stops taking other precautions, i.e. pretends (or actually believes) that it's over.

But it is not as if the article isn't willing to accept that definition:

And even though COVID is still spreading widely, daily life has returned to normal for most people, even during this summer's wave of infections. On Wednesday, Noah Lyles competed in his Olympic race despite a symptomatic COVID infection and won a bronze medal. President Biden worked from home during his recent COVID infection.
COVID seems to be becoming a normal part of life.

In other words, behaving as if no potentially debilitating virus is spreading even though it obviously is is the new normal - for most people. Unlike the president, most people are encouraged to go to work while infected - working from home was for the 'pandemic years'. And unlike Olympic contestants, most people can't expect to be accompanied by officials who fill them with Paxlovid and transport them to and from work in wheelchairs.

Noah Lyles ran the 200m olympic final despite having an active COVID infection and afterwards needed a wheelchair to help get back off the track.
Noah Lyles Needs Wheelchair After Losing 200m Final with COVID (Dangerous?) (Brian Sutterer MD on YouTube, Aug 9, 2024 - 9:50 min.)

So welcome to the brave new world of the endemic!

As mentioned above, the article also cites other, more sensible voices: "But not everyone agrees."
And that is what makes it a far cry from the "worst, most dangerous, most illiterate article about COVID-19" that I've ever read.
I recommend the whole thing. It's not long.

ETA:

"endemic throughout the world"
My brother in Christ. We have a word for that.
Chris (X, Aug 10, 2024)

 

[The Atheist]

No, it hasn't, but it's what "Aron Hall, the deputy director for science at the CDC's coronavirus and other respiratory viruses division," claims in a new NPR article.

How entirely predictable you don't link to the article, which is about expert views, but do link to TwiXter, which is full of uneducated morons who support your panic.

From the NPR link you didn't provide:

“It is particularly a significant risk for those who are older and those who have underlying conditions. The good news is for most younger, otherwise healthier people this will be like having a flu-like infection.”

Oh noes, get the smelling salts... old, frail people are dying, possibly weeks early! This is tragic.

I think the good people at Johns Hopkins are a leetle bit more informed than some random panic-merchant on the internet:

“We’re going to have to continue to live with COVID,” says Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “It’s one more thing people have to deal with. It’s another reason your kids might miss school or you might miss work or another thing to think about when planning gatherings. We’re stuck with it.”

IOW: deal with it.

 

[dann]

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.”

Is A Covid-19 Outbreak Happening At The Paris Olympics? (Forbes, Aug 10, 2024)

Now, don't you start any rumors!
Anyway, if it is, it's the new normal.

Regardless, at this point, you still can't treat the SARS-CoV-2 the same as the flu and other respiratory viruses.

Oh yes, you can!
It isn't the same as the flu and other respiratory viruses, but you most certainly can treat it as if it were!

Without enough and reliable data, it's really difficult to tell when a Covid-19 outbreak is happening. You usually find out after the fact, after there are reports of more emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

So the current pandemic strategy is working, obviously!
Don't monitor the virus! Don't mention the virus! If at all it's just a virus, not the virus!

 

[dann]

Imagine how awful this would be if we were still in a PANDEMIC!

Yet again, hope turns out to be a very bad strategy:

“If you just talk about infections, this is probably going to end up becoming the largest summer wave we’ve had,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and former White House Covid-19 response coordinator. “It’s still not as big as the winter waves, but it is starting to get close.”
(...)
Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, didn't expect the summer waves to be so pronounced four years into Covid.
“I, and many other virologists, thought that we probably would see summer waves for maybe another one or two years, but we didn’t expect them to increase significantly,” he said. “We thought they would continue to just sort of be smaller and smaller as time went on, as we transition to what we hope is going to be just one winter surge of Covid cases per year.”
Is this the biggest Covid summer wave ever? A rise in Covid infections began in early June, and wastewater data from the CDC shows levels are still rising. (NBC News, Aug 9, 2024)

Maybe the next time, NBC News, you should consider talking to the virologists who were not at all surprised!
The article ends on a positive note as this kind of article has to:

Jha said that what happens this winter is impossible to predict but that there could be a silver lining to a large summer wave.
“A big summer wave tends to lead to a little bit of a smaller winter wave and vice versa, just because there’s a little bit more immunity in the population,” he said.

There would be a lot more immunity in the population if everybody was encouraged to get vaccinated. The big summer wave will just leave people more vulnerable to all the other winter infections.

And in even more positive news, the pandemic is also over for the immunocompromised!

Special Populations
The COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines discuss what clinicians need to consider when managing COVID-19 in pregnant people, people with HIV, and other special patient populations.
NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines (NIH)

When you access the page, this message pops up: The NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines website will be shut down on August 16
FLuQE off, NIH!

By the way, the new school year is just about to start. Do we still assume that children don't 'drive' the spread of the virus?

 

[dann]

The 'lympics

When Lyles collapsed, so did the credibility of those responsible for health at the Olympic Games
Noah Lyle's collapse with Covid: How not to manage health at the Olympics (Stat News, Aug 9, 2024)

“To be honest, I knew if I wanted to come out here and win, I had to give everything I had from the get-go,” he said. “I didn’t have any time to save energy. So that was kind of the strategy for today.”
After crossing the line third for the second straight Olympics, Lyles fell to his back and writhed on the ground trying to catch his breath. He got to one knee and stayed there for nearly 30 seconds before getting up, asking for water and getting to the wheelchair.
USOPC CEO on Lyles’ COVID: ‘Not everybody is going to make it through the games healthy’ (2News, WDTN, Aug 9, 2024)

Asthma didn’t stop Noah Lyles from taking on the 200 meter at the Paris Olympics, even after testing positive for COVID-19.
Despite fears of bronchitis and conflicting reports about his fever, Lyles won a bronze medal just two days after his positive test. He was concerned more about the virus’ severe symptoms than his temperature, which his coach Lance Brauman claimed rose to 102 degrees.
“Anytime I’ve had COVID, it’s never been about the temperatures. It’s always been about the body aches, the chills, the headaches and the cold,” Lyles told The Associated Press on Sunday. He spoke during an interview about his new Visa campaign involving his mother, Keisha Caine Bishop, who narrated a 30-second reel with her son.
Lyles said his temperature reached no higher than 99 degrees. The only reason he would have pulled out is if the symptoms of bronchitis had become worse.
Noah Lyles feared bronchitis after positive COVID test, but now pushes through with new career goals (AP, Aug 12, 2024)

Anytime? How many times would that have been? And yet, if he had 'died suddenly', the antivaxxers would no doubt have blamed it on the vaccines.

 

[dann]

Of Panic and Uneducated Morons

How entirely predictable you don't link to the article, which is about expert views, but do link to TwiXter, which is full of uneducated morons who support your panic.

From the NPR link you didn't provide:

Hilarious!
Here is a link to the post where I provided The Atheist and everybody else with a link to the NPR article that he claims I didn't link to: post 1,086
And as I usually do, I not only linked to the NPR article, I also included a quotation, highlighted some of that quotation and used bold for the headline! It's what I do.
This is what it looked like - just in case The Atheist still can't find it:

That means, essentially, that COVID is here to stay in predictable ways.
The classification doesn't change any official recommendations or guidelines for how people should respond to the virus. But the categorization does acknowledge that the SARS-CoV2 virus that causes COVID will continue to circulate and cause illness indefinitely, underscoring the importance of people getting vaccinated and taking other steps to reduce their risk for the foreseeable future.
Is COVID endemic yet? Yep, says the CDC. Here's what that means (NPR, Aug 9, 2024)

Is it clear now? Can everybody see it? Or does it - for whatever reason - only appear on my screen and apparently not on The Atheist's?

I also included this link from the same article, also with some of the text highlighted:

And even though COVID is still spreading widely, daily life has returned to normal for most people, even during this summer's wave of infections. On Wednesday, Noah Lyles competed in his Olympic race despite a symptomatic COVID infection and won a bronze medal. President Biden worked from home during his recent COVID infection.
COVID seems to be becoming a normal part of life.

I think that most people here are aware of how the forum, quoting and posting works. Maybe somebody has the patience to explain it to The Atheist. I don't!

 

[dann]

If you think that 17 people contracting Covid in a hospital in HK ...

Health experts say seven outbreaks involving 60 patients logged between late July and early August at local care homes, with more recorded later
Hong Kong records coronavirus outbreaks in care homes, hospitals after global surge: experts (South China Morning Post, Aug 10, 2024)

Maybe it's time to follow the example of young Hongkongers:
Why so many young Hongkongers continue to mask up long after Covid restrictions have eased (SCMP, April 3, 2024)

 

[dann]

Some people will argue the pandemic isn't over in 3...2...1...

California:

"California interestingly and unfortunately is really a hotbed for COVID," said Dr. John Swartzberg, infectious disease professor at UC Berkeley Public Health.
Experts say while the rise in COVID cases appears close to plateauing, the start of school could potentially continue fueling the summer surge.
"With kids from preschool to grammar school to junior high and high school and college all going back now, that's going to exacerbate the problem so it's impossible to predict what's going to happen, but I expect we're going to see continued respiratory activity throughout the rest of this month and September," Dr. Swartzberg said.
Summer COVID surge could continue as school starts, Bay Area experts warn (ABC7 News, Aug 14, 2024)

I expect the same thing to happen in Denmark where the new schoolyear has also just begun.
Except that Danish parents probably won't be told this:

Many experts say kids should stay home if they're sick.
"If it turns out to be COVID, follow CDC guidelines, keep them home for five days and if they're better and no fever for 24 hours they can come back to school but wear a mask for the next five days," Dr Swartzberg said.

 

[dann]

We Want Them Infected

Another preventative measure suspended:

Employers are stepping up the number of days their employees need to show up in person, arguing it promotes stronger social connections, better collaboration and fairness in the workplace. A survey last year by the professional services firm KPMG found two-thirds of CEOs predicting a full return to office by 2026.
In the city of Philadelphia, it's already happening.
This summer, the city's new mayor Cherelle Parker made good on her promise to give residents a government they could "see, touch and feel," ordering all municipal employees back to the office five days a week.
Working from home allowed him to be a more engaged dad. Now it’s over (NPR, Aug 12, 2024)

I wasn't even aware that many people were still working from home.
It is another one of those things that should be taken into consideration when minimizers point to the numbers and claim that it's because SARS-CoV-2 has become benign.
So "see, touch and feel" and share aerosols is the new pandemic policy.
After all, you can't expect to learn to live with COVID-19 if you don't get COVID-19, can you?!

I personally wouldn't want to "see, touch and feel" the government, but maybe the one in Philly is different.

 

[dann]

Some people will argue the pandemic isn't over in 3...2...1...

Russia (Google translation with a few guess-corrections):

Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Education Gennady Onishchenko during the press conference of the MIA Russia Today.
“Despite the fact that JN.1 is easily proceeding [I think this means that the acute stage of the infection is mild], like all (?!) Omicron, it has a feature - it resembles a gastrointestinal disorder. Patients may have vomiting, diarrhea. Some people think that they don't have covid and were simply poisoned,” said Gennady Onishchenko.
The academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences added that every fifth infected JN.1, despite the mild course of the disease, faces serious post-shaped complications-chronic inflammation, metabolic damage and complications of the cardiovascular system.
Expert: the Covid-19 variant JN.1 can be confused with food poisoning due to similar symptoms (icmos.rus, Aug 13, 2024)

Russia also appears to have a surge of COVID-19 infections.
Claiming that all Omicron is mild seems to a Russian version of C19 minimization.

 

[dann]

California:

... the start of school could potentially continue fueling the summer surge. ...

Man, this was faster than I expected:
In Alabama, this had already happened the day before:

JAG High School will be holding school virtually Wednesday and Thursday due to a COVID outbreak, the school announced in a release.
According to the school, they made the decision to transition to “asynchronous learning” due to a high number of the school’s staff currently being absent with COVID.
The school is currently planning to be virtual for two days, with plans to asses Thursday if the school can safely reopen on Friday.
Lessons and classwork will be available on Schoology. Teachers will also email assignments to students using their school email addresses.
The school will be sanitized and thoroughly cleaned before reopening to students. When the school reopens, masks and disinfectant wipes will be available for students and staff.
JAG High School goes to remote classes due to COVID outbreak (WFSA, Aug 13, 2024)

Masks will no doubt be a good idea. I'll refer people who doubt it to N95 Masks Nearly Perfect at Blocking COVID, UMD Study Shows. They should consider making this article part of the curriculum in Alabama.
It's a minor tragedy that managers of JAG High School seem to think that the school was so dirty that it gave their staff Covid. I know it's Alabama, but how can they still think that's the way people get Covid?

 

[dann]

Link to article in post 1,093: Summer COVID surge could continue as school starts, Bay Area experts warn (ABC News, Aug 14, 2024)

 

[dann]

Some people will argue the pandemic isn't over in 3...2...1...

USA: "higher transmission than during 91% of the pandemic"

1/7
Let's zoom in on the current wave. We're at our highest level of transmission since the winter surge, with 1.3 million daily infections.
Mike Hoerger, PhD MSCR MBA (X, Aug 12, 2024)

2/7
Our graph of year-over-year transmission shows we have likely never had such high COVID transmission in mid-August.
Many classrooms will have a >50% chance someone is infectious. Expect K-12 schools and universities to be hotbeds for COVID outbreaks unless they are using serious multilayered mitigation.
Mike Hoerger, PhD MSCR MBA (X, Aug 12, 2024)

4/7
Here are some precise statistics on the current state of the pandemic in the U.S.
We are experiencing higher transmission than during 91% of the pandemic. 1 in 36 infectious. >1.3 million daily infections, nearly 10 million weekly infections, >400,000 resulting weekly Long COVID cases.
In a classroom of 25-30 students, there's over a 50% chance someone would be infectious.
Mike Hoerger, PhD MSCR MBA (X, Aug 12, 2024)

See graphs in tweets.

 

[dann]

Some people will argue the pandemic isn't over in 3...2...1...

Denmark:
SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater appears to have decreased since mid July when it peaked in week 29. See the graph of Spildevandsovervågning, i.e. wastewater surveillance:
Overvågning af influenza, covid-19, RS-virus og andre luftvejssygdomme (SSI.dk, Aug 14, 2024)
Hospitalizations are down, too, 102 (six 0-2-year-olds), from 170 on July 24. And the percentage of positives is 12,6, down from 16.7% on July 24.
Luftvejsinfektioner

The death toll, however, is much higher than it was from early spring to the first half of summer. In mid spring and early summer, there were a few weeks with no C19 deaths. I wasn't sure if it might be due to delayed reporting, but that doesn't seem to have been the case. This week, Aug 5 to 12, there were 22 C19 deaths, much less than the 100 in one week in December, but this is still summer.

The Danish numbers have been conspicuously low in comparison to other countries. Does Denmark have a higher percentage of 65+ who get vaccinated (back in October!)? I don't know. It remains to be seen what happens now that most people are back in the cities after their summer vacations.

 

[dann]

Good news for Americans - and probably a little delayed for the rest of us ...

... in parts of the world where it's affordable:

NEW—The FDA is accelerating the timeline to greenlight updated #COVID19 vaccines for newer variants as soon as next week, amidst US’s largest summer wave since 2022.
--> Remember, Endemic is NOT = mild. Malaria and HIV are endemic in places.
#CovidIsNotOver
FDA may greenlight updated Covid-19 vaccines as soon as next week, sources say (CNN, Aug 17, 2024)
Eric Feigl-Ding (X Aug 17, 2024)

As for endemic/pandemic:

August 9th update:
Estimated daily infections reach 1 million. Remarkable infection rates for a summer surge. Only BA.2->BA.5 was higher in the 2022 summer.
* 1,000,000 new infections/day
* 1 in every 33 people currently infected
* 74% higher than 12 month avg.
JWeiland (X, Aug 9, 2024)

See JWeiland tweet from July 26.