“The virus is circulating at a speed that not even the most pessimistic forecasts had anticipated,” [French President Emmanuel Macron] said in a televised speech. “Like all our neighbors, we are submerged by the sudden acceleration.”
Latest news [The New York Times]
“CHICAGO — The United States, which reported its first known coronavirus case in Washington State 282 days ago, surpassed nine million total infections on Thursday, including more than half a million in the past week, as Covid-19 spiraled out of control in the lead-up to Election Day.”
…
Katie Lafond, who manages a coffee shop in Milwaukee, said she worried about what the winter might bring and was frustrated that some people seemed oblivious to the mounting risks.
“They don’t realize that everything is surging here,” Ms. Lafond said. “I don’t see this ending anytime soon as long as people continue to put what they want to do first over what is necessary to do for the community.”
If the current pace continues, the Czechs won’t be the only ones in this position:
NBC News: U.S. National Guard assists as Czech Republic sounds Covid-19 alarm.
When the 2nd wave started with a steep increase, the Czech prime minister ignored the health minister’s warning — it would have been preventable if he had supported early action, grrrr. It took two weeks of restrictions for the steep new infection rate to flatten, but we need it to go down, not stabilise. The Czech health system is good per se, but, as your article also mentions, too many underpaid doctors / nurses have left for other EU countries… “Uh… Come back…? Pretty please?”
It’s interesting to see how slow it is to hammer down this curve, even in a social-democratic country, where people overall rather trust their government (i.e. trust they will get paid sick days and temporary unemployment pay etc) and therefor mostly stick to the imposed restrictions. In contrast to other countries that lack a mechanism for people to stay home sick with pay on such a large scale, there, people simply cannot afford to quarantine or shut down for two months.
This is one of the situations where all neglected dynamics come back to bite us at the same time. Also, a generation of statisticians will make a living of modelling this pandemic, we’re basically all each others’ control groups by now…
Australia seems to be doing it right! Admittedly, AUS and NZ have the unfair advantage to not be a densely populated continent with daily passing commuters from various neighbouring states with different laws and infection rates.
I find this story interesting. Since I believe I had Covid as far back as January. I have since had serious bouts of depression and days where I forget to do simple things.
Friday- I made cornbread and forgot the egg
Sat- I made hamburgers and forgot to season them
Sunday I forgot something to do with food but now I have forgotten what I forgot…
I am not that old. This is very very unusual for me.
I am well, and still baseline happy, painting away. They say “paint what you see”, so that’s what I’m doing, though it is more like “paint what you can almost see”, or “what the brain thinks it sees”, which makes for some interesting works. I don’t think I will go back for eye surgery until hospitals are no longer over whelmed, if ever.
On the other hand we’ve had some grief. Mal’s nonagenarian mother got Covid in the nursing home. He was able to drive the 800 miles to be with her in the hospice room. He was holding her hand when she passed quietly two days ago.
He is on his way back now, but will have to quarantine before he can come home and get a proper hug.
I again question coincidence. I have been through to many mind blowing moments these past few years to say that I believe in coincidence anymore. Either it’s the A.I. algorithms working magic, or we are somehow all connected.
Have you ever wondered what happens when you let immigrants from muslim countries in, and subsidise university with tax money so everyone with the talent can afford to become, say, a doctor?
I don’t think I will go back for eye surgery until hospitals are no longer over whelmed, if ever.
Best post I’ve seen here for a looong time.