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The New York Times “State of the virus” updated on Oct. 19, 2021:

  • About half as many new cases are being reported each day as at the start of September.
  • While much of the country continues to see improvement, the Mountain West has been struggling. Montana, Idaho and Wyoming lead the country in recent cases per capita.
  • Hawaii, which experienced its worst surge of the pandemic during the summer, now is reporting the fewest infections per capita of any state. About 120 new cases are being identified there each day.
  • Parts of Northern Minnesota continue to report extremely high case totals. The governor recently called up the National Guard to help with staffing at long-term care facilities.
  • The South is now identifying cases at the lowest rate of any region. Over the summer, several Southern states set new records and case rates in the region soared above the levels seen in other parts of the country.
  • About 69 percent of American adults are fully vaccinated. About 837,000 shots are being administered each day, a figure that includes booster shots for people who were already fully vaccinated.

On Oct. 20, 2021 in the U.S., the seven-day daily average number of new cases was 79,348; the 14-day change in cases was a decrease of 22 percent, with a total of 45,120,156 total cases. The seven-day daily average number of new hospitalizations was 58,543; the 14-day change in hospitalization was a decrease of 19 percent. The seven-day daily average number of new deaths was 1,557, the 14-day change in new deaths was a decrease of 14 percent, and the U.S. death total has reached 728,400. Fifty seven percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, 66 percent have had one jab.  

Next to Canada, which on Oct. 20, 2021, had a seven-day daily average number of new cases of 2,885, the 14-day change in cases was a decrease of 28 percent with a total of 1,695,788 cases. The seven-day average of new deaths was 45, the 14-day change in new deaths was an increase of 4 percent, and the Canadian death total has reached 28,657. Seventy four percent of Canadians are fully vaccinated, 79 percent have had one jab.

This week's issue offers comparative data for the U.K., France, Italy, and Spain. Like the U.S. and Canada, virtually all of these countries’ new cases and deaths are unvaccinated people. The rapid and now sustained decrease in case numbers and deaths in Canada, France, Italy in Spain, continues. The U.K. has not experienced a decrease in cases and deaths; the U.S. have had a decrease in cases, hospitalization, and deaths yet those are from levels that were and remain when adjusted for populations well above all the countries in our comparison. Vaccination–both first and second jabs–have increased 1 percent or less in all countries we report on with the U.S. continuing to lag. Please go to The New York Times International Covid Map for country data. 

In the United Kingdom on Oct. 20, the seven-day daily average 
of new cases was 44,251; the 14-day change in cases was an increase of 34 percent with a total of 8,541,192 cases. The seven-day average of new deaths was 130, the 14-day change in new deaths was an increase of 17 percent, and the U.K. death total has reached 138,852. Sixty eight percent of the U.K. is fully vaccinated, 74 percent have had one jab.

In France, the seven-day daily average of new cases was 4,127, the 14-day change in cases was a decrease of 1 percent with a total of 7,196,254 cases. The seven-day average of new deaths was 35 (7 less than last week), the 14-day change in new deaths was a decrease of 36 percent, and the French death total has reached 118,272. Sixty eight percent of the French citizens are fully vaccinated, 76 percent have had one jab.

In Italy, the seven-day daily average number of new cases was 2,601, the 14-day change in cases was a decrease of 21 percent with a total of 4,704,318 cases. The seven-day average of new deaths was 38 (six less than last week), the 14-day change in new deaths was a decrease of 31 percent, and the Italian death total has reached 131,384. Sixty nine percent of Italians are fully vaccinated, 76 percent have had one jab.

In Spain, the seven-day daily average number of new cases was 1,464, the 14 day Change in cases was a decrease of 36 percent with a total of 4,977,448 cases. The seven-day average of new deaths was 29 (nine less than last week), the 14-day change in new deaths was a decrease of 45 percent, and the Spanish death total has reached 86,877. Seventy eight percent of Spaniards are fully vaccinated, 80 percent have had one jab.

In an article "Vaccine mandates stoked fears of labor shortages. But hospitals say they’re working," the Washington Post offers us a concise report on how effective the mandate has been in the hospital setting.

In "FDA authorizes mix-and-match for all COVID boosters," Axios offers us a summary of the breaking news as to the FDA decision with links to top reporting.

Stat News has one of the best science reporters in Helen Branswell; we offer a link to her important article "Winter is coming, again: What to expect from Covid-19 as the season looms."

Slate offers us more understanding of how well vaccines are working and what contributes to break through infections in "What Colin Powell’s death really means about the vaccines: Breakthrough infections are scary. They don’t affect us all equally." Please employ the link to both learn more about the success of vaccinations and to have more info to combat your misled anti-vax friends and family.

The Atlantic offers us another great science made easy story via "Maybe the Coronavirus was lower-hanging fruit." Reporter Derek Thompson reports and explains that “Emerging mRNA technology proved excellent for COVID vaccines. BioNTech’s founders preview what that could mean for cancer and other mysteries.”
 
Our labor and social justice curators brought us and we link to a recent New Yorker post "America’s workers are fighting back. Can they win?" Politics reporter John Cassiday found that “For decades, the leverage has been on the side of management, but the pandemic has changed that.”
Andy Slavitt is back in the house or the newsroom providing us with our Podcast of the week that has him bringing to your pod listening resource the “aptly-named Dr. Larry Brilliant, who has spent his life working to eradicate deadly diseases.” On the linked In the Bubble “they discuss why eradication of COVID is not possible, what a long-term COVID plan should include, what future variants may look like, and what vaccine innovations he wants to see and why. Plus, how Delta is similar to the fictional virus Larry helped dream up for the movie Contagion.”

Our publishers Rebecca have returned doing the errands demanded on a day off from teaching while Jerry returns from dining outdoors with some brilliant health care attorneys and practitioners to bring you Revitalize for October 21, 2021:
Revitalize: The week in health-care news you need
Vaccine mandates stoked fears of labor shortages. But hospitals say they’re working.
 
FDA authorizes mix-and-match for all COVID boosters,

Winter is coming, again: What to expect from Covid-19 as the season looms.
 
What Colin Powell’s death really means about the vaccines. Breakthrough infections are scary. They don’t affect us all equally.

Maybe the Coronavirus was lower-hanging fruit: Emerging mRNA technology proved excellent for Covid vaccines. BioNTech’s founders preview what that could mean for cancer and other mysteries.

America’s workers are fighting back: can they win? For decades, the leverage has been on the side of management, but the pandemic has changed that.

Andy catches up with the aptly-named Dr. Larry Brilliant, who has spent his life working to eradicate deadly diseases. They discuss why eradication of Covid is not possible, what a long-term Covid plan should include, what future variants may look like, and what vaccine innovations he wants to see and why. Plus, how Delta is similar to the fictional virus Larry helped dream up for the movie Contagion.
Jerry Seelig, CEO
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