The jump in Texas cases for this week is directly related to 700 cases at an Amarillo meatpacking plant, which received increased testing from a testing team: https://www.npr.org/2020/05/18/858236538/texas-faces-a-spike-in-the-coronavirus-cases-at-meatpacking-plants
Several states are combining testing data for coronavirus and antibodies, including Texas and Georgia: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/05/cdc-and-states-are-misreporting-covid-19-test-data-pennsylvania-georgia-texas/611935/
CDC provides estimates on the percentage of asymptomatic cases and mortality rates; mortality rates look low: https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/22/health/cdc-coronavirus-estimates-symptoms-deaths/index.html (link replaced 5/24/21).
Sweden: no herd immunity so far (7.3% with antibodies in Stockholm in late April): https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/21/health/sweden-herd-immunity-coronavirus-intl/index.html (link replaced 5/22/20). And Sweden’s deaths per million are 389 versus 292 in the US; their policy appears to be a fail unless more current antibody data is much higher.
Analysis from the BBC on US and worldwide response to the outbreak: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-52622037/coronavirus-the-lost-six-weeks-when-us-failed-to-contain-outbreak . One point not mentioned here or elsewhere is that South Korea now has a lower testing rate per million than the US because their initial rapid response (and high test rates) led to much better containment, and they have effectively shifted to contact tracing and isolation (even though they had a super-spreader who infected over 100 people in a night of bar-hopping in Seoul).
A trio of articles on COVID-19 and churches, from Texas, California and Oklahoma:
- Texas church cancels masses following death of a possibly Covid-19 positive priest (CNN)
- U.S. Department of Justice warns California governor over pandemic church closings (Reuters)
- Livestream shows a Christian high school in Oklahoma held an in-person graduation with hundreds in attendance (CNN)
(This group from The Daily Pnut)
And … a church burning in Mississippi: https://www.aol.com/article/news/2020/05/22/mississippi-church-fighting-coronavirus-restrictions-burned-to-the-ground/24388326/
Data manipulation in Florida? It has also been reported that the state directed county coroners, who routinely issue weekly reports of cases with cause of death, to withhold issuance of those reports: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/19/859119865/florida-ousts-top-covid-19-data-scientist?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=nprblogscoronavirusliveupdates
Detailed criticism of the current US testing situation: https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/498993-coronavirus-testing-is-a-mess-report-author-says (link replaced 5/24/21). Click on the article’s report link for more details.
WSJ: The super-spreaders: https://www.wsj.com/articles/superspreader-events-offer-clue-on-curbing-coronavirus-11589977873?mod=djemHL_t Note the important observation that mass outdoor events are preceded and followed by mass indoor gatherings.
WSJ: I’d forgotten about this notorious example of German mis-engineering: https://www.wsj.com/articles/berlins-new-airport-finally-gets-ready-to-openjust-when-no-one-wants-to-fly-11589989578?mod=djemHL_t
The big picture: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/07/we-are-living-through-the-first-economic-crisis-of-the-anthropocene
Coronavirus affects the climate: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/13/drop-in-pollution-may-bring-hotter-weather-and-heavier-monsoons
Ending on a distracting note: The Wyatt Company may now be Willis, but Chicagoans still insist that tower is Sears, which has been the Tower Without Power for over a week due to flooding: https://twitter.com/search?q=%22Sears%20Tower%22&src=trend_click (obscure 70’s music reference intended).