I've written up a blog post about my strategy for deciding when to go from outbreak mode with #COVID to normal mode, with links to resources for the United States and New York City. Look for another post about deciding when to go back into outbreak mode soon!
https://grieve-smith.com/ftn/2024/05/how-do-we-know-its-safe/
I shouldn't be writing this. I have no training in medicine or epidemiology. I'm just some random person. And if you have something from a better trained source that tells you how to manage your exposure to airborne infectious diseases like COVID, the flu or RSV in order to avoid passing it on to
At the beginning of May, across the US and in NYC, #COVID, flu and RSV were all down, and combined hospital admissions were ⅔ the rate last year. In 2023 we had a two-month break before the summer wave!
Of course #CovidIsNotOver and now #COVID19 cases are ticking up, corroborating the wastewater counts I cited above. Hospitalizations and deaths are not yet rising, so let's hope it's a fluke, and we're not getting the next wave early. As long as people are dying I still #WearAMask on trains!
This week's NYC #COVID numbers: cases are still rising, but hospitalizations are steady and deaths are continuing to decline; only 3 deaths reported since May 13!
The highest recent 7-day average case total, May 26, is 390. When I got #COVID19 symptoms on Dec 20 it was 1785, and 3 weeks before that it was 798.
There's still a chance that this is a blip, but if it goes over 1000 cases a day I'm prepared to move karaoke online, stop eating indoors and #WearAMask in more shops! #CovidIsNotOver
#COVID cases continue to climb in New York City; I've set my threshold for going into outbreak mode at 1000 cases per day citywide, and they were at 448 on June 3. Wastewater has been higher towards the end of May, but still below 125 copies/mL.
For some reason #COVID19 hospitalizations aren't rising, except among those 75 and older.
I still #WearAMask in trains, buses, elevators, doctors' offices, pharmacies and grocery stores, and eat outdoors when it's not too much hassle!
NYC #COVID cases continue to rise, to 513 per day on June 8. No new wastewater data this week.
Hospitalizations are increasing, suggesting that the summer #COVID19 wave may start a month earlier than last year.
Fortunately, the most recent #influenza and #RSV report shows no sign of increasing cases as of May 18.
Governor Hochul is considering banning masks on transit, but I'm going to #WearAMask in trains, buses, elevators and doctors' offices to protect everyone around me!
The New York State #COVID wastewater portal is showing data not yet available on the City Open Data site.
For the past three months #COVID19 levels have been below 40 copies per millileter, something we only saw last April.
The most recent samples show 78 copies/mL on June 2 and 93 on June 4, which is in the range we saw in May-July 2023.
This tracks with other indicators: last year's summer wave basically lasted until we got a bigger winter wave.
https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-wastewater-surveillance
NYC #COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths all continue to climb this week, with no peak in sight.
I've provisionally set a level of 1000 #COVID19 cases citywide per day (80 cases per day per lakh residents) before I go into Outbreak Mode.
Outbreak Mode means no singing, no parties, and #MaskUp even in outdoor crowds.
I'll try to do karaoke and a weekend away before things get really dangerous!
#COVIDIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask in elevators, trains, doctors' offices and supermarkets!
NYC #COVID cases, hospitalizations and #Wastewater concentrations just keep rising. I can't imagine that the heat wave and bad air have helped anything.
#CovidIsNotOver and #COVIDisAirborne so there are precautions we can take: #WearAMask in crowds and enclosed spaces, and where there are vulnerable people. Once the daily case count reaches 80 per lakh I'm moving karaoke 100% online.
More of us should be taking precautions, but those of us who haven't lost hope can still make a difference!
In NYC we're continuing to climb the summer #COVID wave, reaching 756 cases a day on June 30. Hospitalizations are also rising; deaths were an average of two per day last week. Will the end of the heat wave put an end to the climb?
#COVID19 cases haven't reached the threshold of 80 per lakh population per day I set, but I'm nervous enough to stop scheduling karaoke meetups.
#CovidIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask year-round in elevators, trains, doctors' offices, pharmacies and grocery stores.
This week's NYC #COVID news is more of the same: Cases continue to rise, but have not yest reached the threshold I set of 80 cases per lakh population per day.
Hospitalizations seem to be leveling off, and #COVID19 deaths may even be going down. Maybe the current mix of variants is less severe, at least at first?
As always, I #WearAMask in doctors' offices, elevators, trains, pharmacies and grocery stores. With this uncertainty I don't feel comfortable scheduling karaoke.
NYC #COVID update: the summer wave is definitely happening, as people socialize inside to avoid heat and bad air.
Cases are rising, to just under 80 per lakh per day. Hospitalizations are steady under 5 per lakh per day, and deaths are now up to a city average of 2 per day.
In addition to wearing a mask in crowded places like trains and elevators, or where there are vulnerable people like doctors' offices, I'm moving karaoke events online and avoiding indoor dining!
In NYC we're riding up the summer #COVID wave, as people spend more time indoors.
Cases continue to rise, now just under 80 per lakh per day. Hospitalizations are now over 5 per lakh per day, and deaths are up to 3 per day citywide.
We don't need to have these summer #COVID19 waves. We can reduce them in the short term if we #WearAMask, especially in crowded places and around vulnerable people, eat outdoors, and avoid indoor events with singing or shouting.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has finally released recent #wastewater #COVID results to the State monitoring page (but not yet to the City Open Data portal).
The #COVID19 concentrations vary, but are trending higher, consistent with case, hospitalization and death rates.
To reduce summer waves we need to reduce #ClimateChange that drives people indoors.
New Yorkers can do that by starting #CongestionPricingNow
cc @noneck
https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-wastewater-surveillance
NYC #COVID hospitalizations have almost reached 6 per lakh per day, the level we tolerated with flu and RSV during Fall 2019. #COVID19 cases are correspondingly high, at 80 per lakh per day. Deaths are at 2 citywide per day, which was the rate all last fall.
This is technically just below the threshold, but for now I'm only organizing karaoke over Zoom and avoiding indoor dining and socializing.
I #WearAMask in crowded spaces and where vulnerable people are concentrated!
Could NYC's summer #COVID wave be cresting? Cases and hospitalizations are slightly down since they hit 87 cases and 5.81 hospitalizations per lakh the week ending July 27. Deaths seem steady at 3 per day.
It would be wonderful if the #COVID19 indicators went back to what we saw in April: 15 cases and 1 hospitalization per lakh per day, 1 death per day - or even lower!
Until then I'm avoiding indoor dining and karaoke, and I always #WearAMask in trains and doctors' offices!
It looks like NYC's summer #COVID wave has crested the week ending July 27, without breaking 6 hospitalizations per lakh per day! The peak case rate was 88 per lakh per day, and deaths are still at 3 per day citywide (0.2 per lakh per day).
#CovidIsNotOver so we rest and watch to see how low the #COVID19 rates go, and for signs of a fall wave. Cases and wastewater (see my next toot) are still falling.
While people are still being hospitalized I #WearAMask around crowds and vulnerable people!
And the NYC Department of Environmental Protection has released #COVID #wastewater data through August 6, both to the NYC Open Data Portal and the state aggregator!
#COVID19 concentrations rose from the beginning of June to peak on Bastille Day, and were still high in early August. Let's hope we won't have to wait another month!
With schools starting in the next few weeks, I'm hearing predictions of a fall wave soon, like last year. We can reduce its impact if we eat outside and #WearAMask !
The NYC summer #COVID wave has passed, but what level will we be at until the next wave? Cases aappear to have stopped declining at 62 per lakh per day. Hospitalizations are probably below 5 per lakh, and deaths have been at 3 per day until August 11.
I'm glad #COVID19 levels haven't continued to rise, and I will still watch for a fall wave, or hopefully further decline. In the meantime I will eat outdoors, minimize karaoke and #WearAMask in crowded spaces!
NYC #COVID indicators are dropping, but slowly. Cases may be below 60 per lakh population per day, hospitalizations below 5 per lakh per day, and deaths around 2 per day citywide.
At least one friend who has a school-aged kid is sick with #COVID19 so I hope we won't have another wave right away!
#CovidIsNotOver so I #WearAMask in crowded spaces and around vulnerable people, and try to eat outdoors. Hoping rates will stay low for a while, so I can feel comfortable organizing karaoke events!
NYC #COVID indicators continue to drop. Cases below 60 per lakh per day and hospitalizations below 6 per lakh per day for the past two weeks, and deaths down to 1 per day citywide.
I'm hearing about a bunch of friends and co-workers who've had #COVID19 over the past month. I'm glad I escaped this wave by working from home most days and avoiding in-person singing and indoor crowds, and of course I #WearAMask in confined spaces!
I've been invited to in-person karaoke this weekend. Wondering...
I've been hearing even more reports of #COVID infections from elsewhere in the US, so I checked national and worldwide data.
Yes indeed, there's a big #COVID19 wave nationwide, although as of August 10 it was below 5 hospitalizations per lakh per day.
According to the WHO, the US is responsible for the majority of COVID deaths in August. Other high death rates include New Zealand (where it's winter and they voted out Jacinda Ardern) and vacation countries Portugal and Greece.
Another week, another drop in #COVID indicators in NYC! Cases have been below 60 per lakh per day and hospitalizations below 6 for at least three weeks, deaths still at 1 per day on average.
I have officially exited Outbreak Mode, and this week I attended a wedding, in-person karaoke and a seminar. I may organize another in-person karaoke meetup soon.
But #CovidIsNotOver so I #WearAMask in trains, elevators, doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets. And I eat outdoors whenever possible!
I'm frustrated to see that #COVID rates have stopped dropping in NYC. These daily average rates are below my threshold for going into Outbreak Mode, but they're still too high: 43 #COVID19 cases and 3 hospitalizations per lakh per day, and 2 deaths citywide per day.
I'll probably still organize a karaoke meetup and attend events unmasked, but I'm going to #WearAMask for the rest of my jury duty, and as usual, in doctors' offices, pharmacies, supermarkets, trains and elevators!
The latest NYC #COVID numbers are a bit reassuring: not going down as fast as they did in August, but they do seem to be continuing to drop, and there's no sign of a new wave!
I got a haircut yesterday and will probably do some karaoke and take short trips. Hopefully this trough will last through the live karaoke I'm planning to sing at on Oct. 28!
Of course #CovidIsNotOver so I'll #GetBoosted in the next few weeks, and #WearAMask in confined spaces and wherever there are vulnerable people!
NYC #COVID numbers are going down again! We're down below 2 people hospitalized for #COVID per lakh residents per day, which is where we were at the beginning of June. Still around 1-2 people dying per day.
It might be a good idea to fly somewhere before the winter wave. I'm definitely going to get some karaoke in!
#CovidIsNotOver so I'll #GetBoosted soon, and continue to #WearAMask in confined spaces like trains and elevators, and wherever there are vulnerable people, like doctors' offices!
So relieved to see NYC #COVID rates keep dropping! If the #COVID19 hospitalization count as of October 1 (18 citywide) isn't revised upwards it will be the lowest since March 2020! We may have to start measuring deaths per week instead of per day. And no sign of a fall wave in case or wastewater data!
But 18 !=0, #CovidIsNotOver and everyone is expecting a winter wave.
I got my #novavax on Friday, and still #WearAMask in confined spaces and where there are vulnerable people!
#NYC #COVID rates continue to drop! They're so low that I'm going to switch from rates relative to population to absolute numbers. What is 0.84 of a hospitalization anyway? I'll put them in the next post.
#CovidIsNotOver and I fully expect to see a winter wave, but I'm going to try and figure out criteria for when the risk of transmitting #COVID19 by eating in restaurants, attending concerts or crowded parties, or traveling long distances by train or airplane is low.
Here are this week's absolute numbers for #COVID in NYC. As I suspected, the October 1 hospitalization count was revised upwards, from 18 to 21, but October 8 is now 18. No rise in cases!
NYC has reported 18 #COVID19 hospitalizations per day as recently as April, but I'm not seeing anything lower since the initial rise in March 2020.
Excitingly, they are reporting no deaths since September 30!
The State Health Department only reports new hospitalizations as a rate, not an absolute count...
#COVID numbers in #NYC continue to decline, but slowly. The October 1 7-day hospitalization average was revised up again to 24 - the lowest since March 2022! October 8 was revised up to 22, but the October 15 average is 17 hospitalizations citywide.
The death reports have also been filled in, so we have records of 18 #COVID19 deaths so far in October. In 24 days that averages out to three deaths every four days.
#CovidIsNotOver and these are not as low as I'd hoped, but still a clear trough!
#COVID hospitalizations in NYC are now down to at 17 a day. 24 #COVID19 deaths in 30 days. #CovidIsNotOver and we will most likely have a winter wave, but cases and wastewater continue to decline, so it's not here yet!
We are now in flu and RSV season, so the City's first weekly report is out; I'll talk about that in my next toot!
In the meantime, I still #WearAMask in confined spaces like elevators and trains, and where there are vulnerable people, like doctors' offices and pharmacies!
Here's the #NYC #flu and #RSV data from the report marked as October 26, 24 and 21.
These reports are generally a mess compared to the COVID data. "Differences across seasons in the volume of positive #influenza laboratory reports reflect changes not only in the volume of
infections, but also in patient care seeking and laboratory testing and reporting practices."
Flu appears to be very low, as is typical for the start of the season. RSV is lower than previous years.
https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/providers/health-topics/flu-alerts.page
#NYC seems to be in a fall #COVID plateau: citywide about 165 cases, 15 hospitalizations and one death every day. I hope we can get it lower, but our leaders don't seem interested.
As of the today there were 29 reported #COVID19 deaths in October. We will probably have a winter wave, but there is no sign of it yet.
I will continue to #WearAMask in confined spaces (elevators, trains, buses) and places where vulnerable people are (doctors' offices, pharmacies, supermarkets)!
As of October 26 three appears to be a slight increase in #flu and #rsv lab rates in #NYC but the #influenza rate is still below 2022-23 and 2023-24, and the #rsvirus is well below the past three years.
We need to keep monitoring these levels, in order to increase precautions once we have full-blown waves, especially if they coincide with a #COVID wave. Fortunately, we are still well below outbreak thresholds!
#COVID rates - cases, hospitalizations and deaths - in #NYC are continuing to drop, ever so slightly. The main thing is that there is currently no sign of a fall or winter wave!
There are indications of a new RSV wave, and maybe flu; my toot about that is coming.
I'm currently home recuperating from a cold (no fever, three negative #COVID19 rapid tests). Not fun, but the first time I've been sick since last December!
Please #WearAMask in confined spaces and where there are vulnerable people!
As I wrote, while there doesn't seem to be much sign of #flu in #NYC #rsv and other #InfluenzaLikeIllness is clearly on the rise in this report, which is almost two weeks old.
There's no sign of a fall/winter COVID wave yet, and #rsvirus counts by themselves aren't very high, but it's something to keep an eye on.
I'm currently home with a mild ILI: no fever, three negative COVID rapid tests.
Please #MaskUp in confined spaces (elevators, trains) and where there are vulnerable people (markets)!
The November 9 NYC #flu and #rsv report is out, and there's no sign of this year's #influenza wave, but there's definitely an #rsvirus wave, starting about a month later than last year. Hopefully it won't climb as high as last year, or overlap with the winter COVID wave very much!
I have recovered from my ILI, and went for a bike ride today.
Please #MaskUp in confined spaces like elevators and trains, and where there are vulnerable people like doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!
#COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths continued to decline slowly in #NYC over the past few weeks, with no sign of a fall/winter wave yet.
#COVIDIsNotOver and RSV is on the rise (see my previous post), so I #WearAMask in trains, elevators, doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets! #GetBoosted if you haven't already...
#NYC has seen a slight increase in #COVID cases and hospitalizations over the past week, which is cause for concern in data collected right before the massive burst of Thanksgiving travel!
These are still some of the lowest levels we've seen since #COVID19 emerged, so I felt comfortable organizing a singing event with guests from out of town, and hosting another guest a couple days later.
#CovidIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask in trains, elevators, doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!
Also a slight increase in #COVID wastewater concentrations here in Queens, but then back down to previous levels. There is an uptick in #COVID19 hospitalizations across New York State, but it appears to mostly be in Albany and Buffalo.
The reporting of hospitalizations to the CDC is over a month old, and the reporting of deaths to the WHO is similarly delayed, but the US reported almost 5,000 deaths in September, and slightly less in August. #CovidIsNotOver
Let's try and do better in 2025!
Still no sign of a winter #COVID wave in #NYC - cases appear to have settled around 145 per day, and hospitalizations around 10 per day.
The #COVID19 death chart is showing 16 deaths for all of November, slightly over a death every two days, which is the lowest I can remember, and no deaths since November 25. Of course, it's possible that the person who reports the deaths took the week off.
#CovidIsNotOver and until we have a month with zero deaths I #WearAMask in trains and doctors' offices!
This year's #flu and #RSV seasons in #NYC are either late or mild. By this time last year we were seeing over five times as many #influenza cases, and #rsvirus case counts were peaking.
NYC hospitals are reporting 3,436 cases of RSV, more than 2/3 of previous peaks.
These diseases can still be deadly, so let's try to keep the waves small! #WearAMask in confined spaces like elevators and trains, and where there are vulnerable people like doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!
The winter #COVID wave appears to be starting here in #NYC. #COVID19 case counts jumped from a low of 10.74 per lakh before Thanksgiving to 16.72 last week. These numbers are always revised upwards, so it could be over 30.
In August I figured out that when cases reach 60 per lakh, then in three weeks things will probably be bad enough I will want to go into Outbreak Mode. The flu wave is also starting and we're in the middle of the RSV wave as well!
https://grieve-smith.com/ftn/2024/08/when-to-go-into-outbreak-mode/
Recently I described how I monitor the disease indicators published by government agencies, and how I've set a threshold of 6 people hospitalized per hundred thousand residents for deciding when to relax out of "outbreak mode" and eat and sing indoors. So then, when to go back into outbreak mode an
More confirmation of the winter #COVID wave in #NYC! #COVID19 cases and hospitalizations have started to climb, but even combined with flu and RSV (I'll post about them soon) they haven't reached the thresholds I've set for going into Outbreak Mode.
So much of the data is incomplete that I'm worried about underestimating the risk of catching or passing on any of these diseases. Yesterday I attended my department holiday party, but decided not to organize a karaoke event!
In #NYC #flu and #RSV case counts continue to climb. There were 2,380 positive #influenza cases in the week ending December 7, well below rates reported in 2022 and 2023 at this time of year.
4,495 positive #rsvirus cases were reported for the week, nearing the 2022 and 2023 peaks.
I still #WearAMask in crowded places like trains, buses and elevators, and wherever there are vulnerable people, like doctors' offices, pharmacies and grocery stores!
There is definitely a winter #COVID wave in #NYC. #COVID19 cases are up to 21 per lakh residents. Hospitalizations are up slightly. 19 people dead between November 17 and December 16.
The most recent publicly available wastewater count is from December 3. We've been seeing elevated counts since mid-November.
#CovidIsNotOver so I #WearAMask in crowded places and around vulnerable people!
And I've created a new dashboard for tracking the indicators I find most useful!
Is #NYC's winter #COVID19 wave plateauing at 1.25 hospitalizations per lakh per day? That would be wonderful if true and not just a lag in reporting!
#CovidIsNotOver and there were 19 #COVID deaths in the 30 most recent days with complete data.
I'm going to avoid in-person karaoke until I see a sustained drop in cases and no further rise in hospitalizations.
As usual, I #WearAMask in trains, elevators, doctors' offices and markets!
Screenshots from my new dashboard:
https://contagion.grieve-smith.com/
#flu was still on the rise in #NYC the week before last, nowhere near the peaks from the past two years, but it looks like the winter #RSV wave peaked in the week ending December 21!
#rsvirus appears to have peaked at the same level as last year, and slightly lower than 2022-2023.
Here's hoping we have relatively mild, quick winter waves for COVID and #influenza and no big outbreaks of pneumonia or bird flu!
For now, I'm avoiding in-person karaoke and I #WearAMask in trains and supermarkets!
Update: Whoever got the request at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene asked me to submit a FOIL request.
I think it was clear in my message that I'm not asking for any new data, only for the existing #flu and #rsv data to be made available in an easier format.
I see FOIL as an adversarial and confrontational forum, not a way to collaborate and advance shared #OpenData goals.
I think I'm going to email my City Council member, but other suggestions are welcome!
cc @noneck
The winter #COVID wave is here in New York! #COVID19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise. Deaths in December were up slightly - 21 deaths in 30 days vs. 18 around November.
It's not yet at the threshold I set for going into Outbreak Mode, and since it's freezing weather, I'm going to eat in restaurants if they aren't too crowded.
But I'm not going to go to an in-person karaoke event on Saturday, and I #WearAMask in trains, elevators, doctors' offices and supermarkets!
#CovidIsNotOver
#flu cases have continued to rise in #NYC, approaching last year's peak. #RSV cases continue to decline from the peak in December. The percentage of hospital visits for Influenza-Like Illness was steady last week.
Here's hoping we'll see the peak of the #influenza and #COVID waves! Frustratingly, mpox is on a completely separate page, and there do not appear to be pages with live data for norovirus or pneumonia.
No in-person karaoke until these waves are over, and I #WearAMask on the train!
#COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to rise in #NYC, reaching 30 cases and 1.8 hospitalizations per lakh population.
I've added CDC RESP-NET data to the dashboard, and will try to put in a graph. Hopefully RFK Jr. won't shut it down right away. It shows that #COVID19 hospitalizations are worse nationwide, but the real problem is flu!
#CovidIsNotOver so no in-person karaoke for a while, and as long as people are dying I #WearAMask in trains, elevators, doctors' offices and supermarkets!
#RSV cases continue to decline in #NYC, but #flu cases continue to rise. In combination with the ongoing COVID wave, #influenza is still dangerous.
Until both waves are over I'm not going to host any in-person karaoke, and I'm only eating in uncrowded restaurants with good ventilation.
And I still #WearAMask in crowded spaces like trains and elevators, and places where there are vulnerable people, like doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!
Things may get a lot worse in all kinds of ways, but I wanted to complete this piece of my infectious disease dashboard, which presents CDC RESP-NET data.
#CovidIsNotOver but it looks like the big respiratory disease threat in the United States the past couple weeks is #flu, which had risen to 9.6 hospitalizations per lakh population as of January 4. More than #COVID and #RSV combined.
#COVID19 hospitalizations are currently half what they were in January 2024, and a third the rate in 2023.
Frustrating that the winter #COVID wave in #NYC seems to be lingering. I'm glad #COVID19 cases and hospitalizations are not rising as fast as they were after Christmas and Hanukah, but 25 people hospitalized is too many!
There have been more deaths in the past 30 days (33) than in December.
It seems that the flu is doing more damage this year. We'll see what tomorrow's flu report says.
#CovidIsNotOver so I #WearAMask in trains, buses, elevators, doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!
#Flu cases in #NYC and nationwide appear to have peaked in early January! Let's hope #influenza drops quickly like in 2022-2023, not slowly like last year.
The CDC has not yet shut down RESP-NET; let's hope it hangs on as long as possible!
#RSV is continuing to drop as well, far below the December peak.
At this rate it may be safe to sing karaoke in February!
But as long as people are dying I #WearAMask in trains, buses, elevators; #MaskUp in doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets!
#COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths are rising slower in #NYC but they're still continuing to rise as of January 27. We saw 24 #COVID19 deaths in December, but December 22-January 20 saw 44 deaths!
Here's hoping that both the COVID and flu waves will end quckly, unlike last winter when they extended into April!
I still #WearAMask in confined spaces like elevators, trains and buses, #MaskUp in hospitals, doctors' offices, pharmacies and supermarkets, where there are vulnerable people!
Oh fuck. #Flu cases and emergency room visits have continued to rise in #NYC, the highest #influenza rates since Fall 2019, maybe longer. At least the #RSV wave is over. Hoping COVID hospitalizations drop, or at least stay steady!
I was in the ER with a family member Wednesday night, and I heard a little sniffling and sneezing. I wore my KN95, and the doctors were pretty good with baggy masks, but I couldn't convince my loved one to put a mask on. At least the ventilation seemed to be good!
Ugh, #COVID cases and hospitalizations in #NYC continue to rise, slower than in January, but still rising steadily. There were 50 deaths from #COVID19 in January, more than twice as many deaths as in December!
My 86-year-old mom is currently suffering from some upper respiratory ailment. COVID and flu PCR tests were negative at the hospital last week, but a subsequent infection could be contributing to this.
As usual, I #WearAMask in doctors' offices, hospitals, trains, elevators and stores!
In the midst of the bad #flu news, #influenza season in #NYC might have peaked the week ending January 25! I'm so sick of these numbers continuing to go up.
Until these waves are truly over, of course, we all need to #WearAMask in elevators, trains, planes and buses, and #MaskUp in doctors' offices, hospitals, pharmacies and supermarkets!
I just heard from an exhausted, worried friend whose elderly mother had to go to the hospital for flu, and now has to go to rehab to recover from it!
#COVID hospitalizations appear to have plateaued in #NYC around 3 per lakh per day, and #COVID19 cases and deaths are continuing to rise. That's bad enough, but on top of that we're in the middle of flu season.
RSV is down, but my mother is in the hospital with RSV and pneumonia. I hear coughing there constantly.
If you won't #WearAMask in trains, elevators and supermarkets, please at least #MaskUp in hospitals, doctors' offices and pharmacies!
#RSV cases peaked in #NYC in December, and now it looks like #influenza cases peaked the week ending January 25. Unfortunately, #flu case counts were at the highest in years, and have a long way to go down!
A thousand cases of #rsvirus means a bunch of vulnerable people are still going to end up in the hospital, and that includes my mom, who was hospitalized for RSV and pneumonia last week, and is still in the hospital; I wrote about our experience. Please #WearAMask !
https://grieve-smith.com/ftn/2025/02/what-infectious-disease-hospitalization-looks-like/
Two weeks ago as I was relaxing before bed, I got a call I dreaded. The EMTs were in my mother's apartment; she had fallen and hit her head. I got dressed, rushed over and joined them in the ambulance, and we set off for the trauma center at Elmhurst Hospital. A CT scan and some X-rays determin
I've written before in frustration at #NYC's inept reporting of #COVID #wastewater concentrations. They collect the data at least weekly, but the most recent report is from February 2, on coronavirus.health.ny.gov and that is only an embedded Tableau graph.
The numerical #COVID19 data is posted to the NYC Open Data Portal, but the most recent report there is from Dec. 31.
I've discovered the embed on https://contagion.grieve-smith.com/ is pegged to the time I shared it, so I have to update it manually!
#COVID cases and hospitalizations appear to finally be leveling off in #NYC. Will they start dropping now, or will this be another long wave like last year?
My mom is now home from the hospital, recovering from RSV and pneumonia. Once she's a little stronger, I'd like to take her out to lunch without worrying that she'll catch #COVID19 or the flu!
#CovidIsNotOver so let's #WearAMask in elevators, trains and buses; #MaskUp in doctors' offices, hospitals, pharmacies and supermarkets!
#influenza cases are dropping in #NYC, and #rsv is now down below 1,000 cases a week. Small comfort if, like me, you've been caring for a loved one who's been in and out of hospitals with the #rsvirus for three weeks!
Still, in combination with the plateau in COVID cases, it should be safer to relax precautions - eating indoors more, singing karaoke, maybe taking a plane trip.
But I still #WearAMask in elevators, trains, buses, doctors' offices, hospitals, pharmacies and supermarkets!
#COVID cases are finally coming down again in #NYC, and hospitalizations and deaths may be peaking. Let's hope this wave will be over relatively quickly, not drawn out like last winter!
#COVID19 hospitalizations are well below 6 per lakh per day, but combined with flu and RSV they are probably above 6. Will it be safe to organize in-person karaoke or eat in restaurants in two weeks?
#CovidIsNotOver so I still #WearAMask in elevators and buses, and #MaskUp in doctors' offices and supermarkets!
@grvsmth is there flu data for the same period? I’ve heard it’s particularly bad this year.
(Zero covid here, I mask etc.) just would be an interesting overlay and might actually make a stronger case if the numbers are higher.
@dotsie Yes, I was inspired to compare them by the CDC RESP-NET, which actually has comparable data for COVID, flu and RSV!
Unfortunately, for flu and RSV in NYC in particular all we have are graphs of case counts. These are not directly comparable since the diseases cause different rates of hospitalizations per infection.
I requested that the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene provide comparable hospitalization data, but their response was not encouraging!
Attached: 1 image Update: Whoever got the request at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene asked me to submit a FOIL request. I think it was clear in my message that I'm not asking for any new data, only for the existing #flu and #rsv data to be made available in an easier format. I see FOIL as an adversarial and confrontational forum, not a way to collaborate and advance shared #OpenData goals. I think I'm going to email my City Council member, but other suggestions are welcome! cc @[email protected]
Angus Andrea Grieve-Smith
Bailey
Allie!