CDC Notifies States, Large Cities To Prepare For Vaccine Distribution As Soon As Late October

[godisney14]

The US 7 day average hits it's lowest number since 10/22 (64,110), cases fall to 68,000 from 78,000 last Thursday.

Cases on Thursdays in 2020:

1/2: 239,000
1/9: 258,000
1/16: 206,000
1/23: 174,000
1/30: 146,000
2/4: 127,000
2/11: 109,000
2/18: 72,000
2/25: 78,000 (increase from previous week likely due to under reporting due to Texas snowstorm)
3/4: 68,000

Source:
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

We’re also averaging 500,000 less tests per day than near the end of January.
Take a positivity rate of 4% on those fewer tests, and now you have 20,000 more new daily cases.

 

[Jonfw2]

We’re also averaging 500,000 less tests per day than near the end of January.

It makes sense that when people are not getting sick as much there would be less testing. What should be looked at is the percentage of positive tests- and it is near an all-time low.

 

[Colleen27]

CVS in the Bay Area of CA just opened up what looks to be a sizeable number of J&J appointments. My daughter and one of her roommates got appointments for Monday afternoon and had their choice of times, and they were both looking for any vaccine they could get but are very pleased to be getting the single-dose version.

We’re also averaging 500,000 less tests per day than near the end of January.
Take a positivity rate of 4% on those fewer tests, and now you have 20,000 more new daily cases.

But fewer tests are a good thing at this point - it means fewer people are experiencing covid-like symptoms and fewer people are being told to test because of exposure to a confirmed-positive. Fewer tests is only a problem if people who need/want a test can't get one, and I don't think that's been the case in most of the US for a long time now.

 

[chad_1138]

It makes sense that when people are not getting sick as much there would be less testing. What should be looked at is the percentage of positive tests- and it is near an all-time low.

My thoughts exactly. I keep seeing headlines of less testing and why it’s a bad thing. Umm...isn’t that the goal?? Less illness means less testing!!

 

[godisney14]

CVS in the Bay Area of CA just opened up what looks to be a sizeable number of J&J appointments. My daughter and one of her roommates got appointments for Monday afternoon and had their choice of times, and they were both looking for any vaccine they could get but are very pleased to be getting the single-dose version.



But fewer tests are a good thing at this point - it means fewer people are experiencing covid-like symptoms and fewer people are being told to test because of exposure to a confirmed-positive. Fewer tests is only a problem if people who need/want a test can't get one, and I don't think that's been the case in most of the US for a long time now.

True, it could be less people seeking out. But, could also be other reasons. Who knows.

Btw, how did your daughter in the Bay Area get a vaccine appt?? Isn’t she a college student?

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

My thoughts exactly. I keep seeing headlines of less testing and why it’s a bad thing. Umm...isn’t that the goal?? Less illness means less testing!!

I feel this way as well. Our county is pushing us for more testing so we can bring our % positive down, but I have to wonder if people aren’t testing because we don’t need to as much.

 

[Colleen27]

True, it could be less people seeking out. But, could also be other reasons. Who knows.

Btw, how did your daughter in the Bay Area get a vaccine appt?? Isn’t she a college student?

Yes, but she also works in the food industry (waitress/hostess/cashier) and SF County added restaurant, grocery, and food processing workers to the eligible groups a week or two ago. It was actually her manager that told her she was now eligible and strongly encouraged her to get an appointment; he would like to have all the staff vaccinated ASAP since they're reopening indoor seating this weekend. Her roommate is eligible for the same reason, since she works as a cashier at Trader Joes.

And I'm not sure if it factored in or not because the new approach to underserved communities was just announced yesterday, but they also live in one of the handful of Bay Area zip codes being targeted as underserved and subject to increased vaccine allocations (because we're paying San Francisco rent on Michigan wages, so she's not in a what you'd call a nice neighborhood - the Tenderloin, if you're familiar with the area at all).

ETA: as far as testing goes, it is wide open around here. DS has had to be tested repeatedly following confirmed cases in their workplace. Early on, it was hard to find a testing site and the results could take days. This last time (one of his coworkers went out to quarantine on Wednesday because of a case in his household), DS said drive-thru testing took less than 30 minutes on his way home from work yesterday, his rapid test was negative and they said they'd call with the PCR results today.

 

[godisney14]

Here’s an interesting thought on the J&J vaccine.

The study results show that the J&J vaccine is currently ~70% effective, which is presumably the same for Pfizer and Moderna now.
There is a 2-dose J&J clinical study underway because lab tests show a noticeable increase in reactivity with a 2nd dose at 8 weeks follow-up. But, the FDA won’t receive the clinical data until at least a few months from now (May at earliest is expected). Will anyone receiving a J&J vaccine now be eligible to get a second dose several months later, beyond the studies timeline, if/when FDA approves of a 2-dose J&J vaccination schedule.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Fewer tests is only a problem if people who need/want a test can't get one, and I don't think that's been the case in most of the US for a long time now.

We booked a covid test Monday for Wednesday (meaning 3/3 corrected date) and they had plenty of openings (I believe I mentioned this earlier) Anyways we had our covid test wednesday night. Appointment at 5:20 but we showed up at 5:00-ish (you're supposed to show up 15mins ahead), check in get the saliva tubes, drive to the spot, do the samples and hand them off to the people. We were out of there by 5:15pm. They tell you average test results 48-96 hours (the company is gogetested) but online it said the average test result is coming in about 40 hours for that testing site. We get a text at just after 9am Thursday with our results (both negative) so honestly super super fast. These saliva tests are done using PCR.

Believe it or not that was the first time my husband and I have had to do covid tests.

 

[DLgal]

And I'm not sure if it factored in or not because the new approach to underserved communities was just announced yesterday, but they also live in one of the handful of Bay Area zip codes being targeted as underserved and subject to increased vaccine allocations (because we're paying San Francisco rent on Michigan wages, so she's not in a what you'd call a nice neighborhood - the Tenderloin, if you're familiar with the area at all).

Your daughter lives in the TENDERLOIN?

 

[dvcgirl67]

It makes sense that when people are not getting sick as much there would be less testing. What should be looked at is the percentage of positive tests- and it is near an all-time low.

That....and people aren't getting tested as much for indoor gatherings for holidays.

 

[Colleen27]

Your daughter lives in the TENDERLOIN?

Well, technically yes. Her building is just a few steps off of Market, so the area right around her building is well lit and busy (very near the Powell St. BART station), but it is in the TL boundary/zip code. And they do have security, both physical (locked front entry, cameras) and human (24/7 staffed front desk).

The area she's in doesn't feel bad to me, but sometimes "bad" can be hard to see when you grew up in and around Detroit like I did because in my mind there's no such thing as a bad neighborhood with an Urban Outfitters and a Trader Joes. Walking around near her building feels, to me, very much like walking around some of the gentrifying (aka "good") parts of Detroit, where old poverty is side-by-side with new development, hipsters and wealth. She loves the location. She said that's the only thing she'll miss when she goes back to campus in the fall, being so close to Yerba Buena park and to the Ferry Terminal farmer's market.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My governor announced yesterday that meatpacking workers are moving on up in priority. They are part of this Phase just no one has really gotten to them yet and that ended yesterday as they started receiving vaccines. She already had started sending extra doses earmarked for teachers to counties. She will now do this for meatpacking reasons.

"counties will receive vaccine doses earmarked for the plant workers in additions to what they are already receiving for other uses. The governor pointed out that the majority of workers in these plants are part of the Hispanic and Latino communities, which have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and have a harder time accessing vaccine."

This is her statement: “Throughout this pandemic, meatpacking plant workers have stepped up to successfully maintain the food supply chain,” “We owe them our gratitude for keeping food on the shelves and on the plates of families across our state, our nation, and the world.”

It was noted that in my state it's about 12K that are in the meatpacking part. If that's the case in terms of cluster summary that means about 33% of those workers in the state have already contracted covid.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My good news of the day:

"For the first time since mid-July, no new coronavirus-related deaths were reported in the State of Kansas."

 

[Jonfw2]

I have antibodies!!!! One dose of Moderna!!!

 

[EACarlson]

525 mile round trip to get my first dose of Moderna today. No second appointment set, my tribe claims they do not know when they will get more vaccine, so it will probably be short notice of when I have to go back to get the second. Interesting to me, vaccines administered on tribal lands come from the Indian Health System and not from the state which the land is in.

 

[Jonfw2]

The US 7 day moving average has now dropped every day since the CDC said it was plateauing.

 

[Jonfw2]

DISNEYLAND REOPENING APRIL 1.

 

[mom2rtk]

DISNEYLAND REOPENING APRIL 1.

Sort of.

 

[Jonfw2]

Sort of.

Hey man. Gift horse? Mouth? Don’t look into it!!!