John Woodward
Augie RayThis week's US #COVID19 is pretty cheery: We're at or near the lowest level in years, and there's no sign the summer surge is imminent. The surge will come, likely beginning in mid-June or so. COVID's never gone, but risks are considerably low at present.
KanaMaunaCovid may be low but OMG there is so much of everything out there now. Every day in the office I hear a symphony of coughing. Every meeting starts with a list of who’s out sick. Every vacation story includes the bit about being stuck in the hotel room for a day or two. Etc. 5 years into this fiasco and we’re just happily swapping virus after virus all year round. If you don’t like pain keep masking.
Wilfried Klaebe@augieray It's not mid-june yet, but: https://mastodon.social/@COVID19_DISEASE/114540327884088802
@wonka There is no evidence yet that this variant is yet causing any increase in risks in the US. If might, but it might not--every region has a different set of prior infections with different variants and a varying set of vaccinations. It's definitely worth watching, and we will undoubtedly see a surge begin in the month or so ahead, but the risks in certain Asian nations are not yet evidenced here in the US.
@wonka I will continue to monitor wastewater (the best data we have) as well as positive rate of testing (a weaker but more leading indicator) to watch for signs of our summer surge. Right now, the latest data on Walgreens shows positive rate has been steady or even downward trending, so no signs these variants are yet gaining traction in the US.
https://www.walgreens.com/healthcare-solutions/covid-19-index