Quickie Covid Update: Bad News, Good News, Bad News (Again; Sorry)

I’m not much of a data wonk, but I can read charts that go up and down. And handily, the Washington Post & New York Times put out such charts for COVID every day.

So here is our recent history with the pandemic compressed into four simple charts.

1. Summer 2021 started well, but turned bad. By the brink of autumn, it was awful: On September 13, there were almost 176000 new cases, on that one day.

2. But then the charts took a turn for the better. That steep upward slanted line turned, and new case numbers dropped.

They kept declining for about six weeks. On November 4 the daily new cases number was down to 71300 or so. That was less than half of the September number. I couldn’t help it: my hopes got higher. Maybe we were seeing the, um, light at the end of this long gloomy tunnel?

Or did I jinx it by even thinking that??

3. Because then, the numbers started increasing again. And this morning, September 18, 2021, the daily new case number is back up to 89000+. And winter isn’t even here yet.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got the two vaxx shots, plus a booster, AND a flu shot, the supposedly extra potent one for geezers. I also wear a mask when out grocery shopping (my main entertainment), or stopping by the favorite diner (my ultra-favorite treat).

But dammit, if those numbers keep rising (again), the diner may have to slide back down on the list.  I’ll hate that. And what about school for my grandson and granddaughter & pre-K for the great granddaughters? And there’s one more:

4. Beg pardon for referring to our awful political mess, but ponder this last NY Times chart:

As for me, I’m gonna shut up before my big mug of schadenfreude overflows again.

But there it is. The Big awful Truth that the even Bigger LIE is covering up.

5 thoughts on “Quickie Covid Update: Bad News, Good News, Bad News (Again; Sorry)”

  1. Friend Fager Thank you for publishing that 7-day average chart. I had been wondering about that. And … data are my friends. It is a bittersweet reality that this plague has morphed into a plague of the anti-vaxxers. About half of my large, blended family are in that camp. My soul has become downcast by the knowledge that they are stubbornly on a path toward suicide.

  2. Folks here are buying into the government and MSM pro big pharma narrative, which is partially correct but also partially false. (CNN, NYT, and WaPo are not entirely reliable sources.) They have told you that ivermectin is a false and dangerous treatment for covid, but the fact is that poor countries that did not have access to the vaccines did have access to ivermectin widely used to treat parasitic diseases. And, guess what? It also appears to be about 80% effective at preventing covid hospitalization and death. Ivermectin has been withheld from covid victims in the rich countries to pave the way for a patentable very expensive new covid drug which just happens to use just one of the several antiviral mechanisms of ivermectin (which costs 6cents per tablet). They have told you that the pandemic persists because of the people who refuse the vaccine, when their own experts now acknowledge that the main advantage of the vaccine is to the person who receives it, because the vaccine does not prevent becoming infected with covid or passing it on to others. The vaccine (like ivermectin used in poor countries) prevents hospitalization and death in vulnerable populations. They do not explain to you that this is new vaccine technology has only been tested on human beings for something like 2 years now, and virologists see possibilities for long-term consequences of cancer or immune system compromise because of persistence of the components of the vaccine in the body. I am 80 yrs old and not an anti-vaxer. I’m ok with the vax for myself and have had all 3 shots, but question it’s use for children and adamantly oppose mandating it for anyone. When you understand the role of big pharma and profiteers like Bill Gates in setting covid public health policy nationally and internationally, and you understand the extant questions surrounding the vaccine technology, there really is no basis for doctrinaire positions on the situation. And the tragic and most destructive effect of the propaganda battle over it is the social division and hostility it has generated in families and communities. As Quakers I hope we will strive to rise above this division, acknowledge the scientific uncertainties, and respect and love everyone no matter what they have been indoctrinated to believe. We practice that love and respect in other situations and it is sorely needed here. One useful source for covid research analysis is Dr. John Campbell, RN, PhD, a pro-vax British nursing educator who does short programs on YouTube most days. I’m happy to share other sources of information if you’re interested.

    1. 3/4 of this anti-vax rant has been discredited repeatedly. There is no point in me doing it again.
      But, to my delight this morning, one of your anti-vax (in this case) brethern, posted a headline warning that credit scores my be impacted by your vax status.
      He seemed mystified as to why, given that the unvaxed are 12x more likely to sicken and die, that a credit evaluation would include calculations about the likelihood that the unvaxed might fail to pay medical bills maybe mortgages, etc. Maybe, you can help him figure it out.
      And, of course, what might be more worrisome is that an anti-vaxer’s DNA might be traceable from someone else’s infection.
      Would a criminal prosecutor, prosecute an anti-vaxer for criminal negligence, abuse — even murder — because of a failure to reduce the risk of infection?
      And, that doesn’t take into account the potential liability for civil damages. Over a million for an intubation….

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