Augie RayAug 4, 2023

Three-minute US #COVID19 update 🧵 :

- The CDC wastewater monitoring shows we're at the highest level of sustained growth since last December. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#wastewater-surveillance

- Biobot demonstrates continued growth of COVID in wastewater with acceleration particularly pronounced in the West and Midwest (which are catching up to the higher COVID levels in the South and Northeast). Rates are still relatively low, but they are continuing to rise. https://biobot.io/data/

COVID Data Tracker

CDC’s home for COVID-19 data. Visualizations, graphs, and data in one easy-to-use website.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Show threadAugie RayAug 4, 2023

- The Walgreen's COVID positive rate has never been higher throughout the entire pandemic (although this is based on low test volume). https://www.walgreens.com/healthcare-solutions/covid-19-index

- The CDC's test positivity rate is based on a much larger sample. It has doubled in just two weeks and is still rising. If the current trend continues, we'll have the highest positive rate since last July within ten days. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_select_testpositivity_00

- The CDC reports COVID hospitalizations are up 12% over last week. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#maps_new-admissions-rate-county

Walgreens Respiratory Index | Walgreens Healthcare Solutions

Explore the Walgreens COVID-19 Index, taking data from our stores to visualize trends and patterns in COVID-19 across the United States.

Show threadAugie RayAug 4, 2023

COVID risks are rising. COVID isn't just an acute illness but can leave people with chronic and possibly permanent reduction in health. Repeat infections increase risks. And you've probably not been jabbed for six to 12 months.

All of that means now is a good time to be cautious with crowds indoors, particularly places where people will be breathing heavy (gyms, bars with lots of loud talking, rooms with people singing, etc.)

Show threadAugie RayAug 4, 2023
I also think it is WAY past time for hospitals and medical facilities that serve patients with health risks to put their damn masks back on. (Seriously, the data is SO solid on the risks of nosocomial infections and the adverse impacts to patient health that I consider the unmasking a blatant violent of ethical mission and patient rights.)
Show threadAugie RayAug 4, 2023
Over in Ireland, their COVID spike has gotten so bad that hospitals are again asking people not to show up unless it's urgent and to avoid visiting if they feel unwell. (What is the point of hospitals that can only serve the healthy, exactly?) Every nation has a diverse situation (current and historic) regarding COVID variants, so it's hard to draw conclusions from one nation to another, but the US could be about four to six weeks behind Ireland with its current surge. https://www.thesun.ie/health/11133402/warning-covid-cases-spike-patients-hospitals-hse/
Major warning as Covid-19 cases spike and ICU patients rise as hospitals close to visitors amid outbreaks...

COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Ireland as hospitals cope with outbreaks. Increasing virus rates are causing a surge of hospital and ICU patients across the country. Some hospitals, including St …

The Irish Sun
Show threadAugie RayAug 4, 2023

Be a bit safer to protect yourself and your loved ones. As I keep saying, COVID wasn't a temporary situation. We must live with it forever, but that should mean striving to avoid the long-term health risks of repeat infections and not pretending COVID doesn't exist.

#WearAMask

Show threadAugie RayAug 4, 2023
Also, if you aren't well--if you have sniffles, a scratchy throat, watering eyes and other symptoms--STAY HOME. We need to lose that bad habit of thinking it's okay to get everyone else sick so that we can do whatever we want in public settings. Someone's mild COVID infection can become someone else's chronic, Long COVID struggle. If you're not feeling healthy, limit your activities to protect others, please.
Show threadReal_JamesCain
@augieray But that's how I get better: getting stronger by infecting coworkers at their expense.
Aug 4, 2023 at 6:21pmWeb