Rapid Test Center of New York
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP

By Dr. Stuart Weiss, Intelligent Crowd Solutions – Rapid Test Center of NY

March 25, 2021

CoViD-19 News and Information you can trust. Welcome new readers from the Rapid Test Center.

Topics: The variant problem and lack of patience

Variants, oy vey! So here’s the problem: 54,639 34,241 54,662 56,802 79,513 Those are the daily new case numbers for the past 5 days. Do you notice a trend? 24 States have high new case numbers that are staying high and 4 states have lower cases that are now rising, according to the New York Times tracker.  So why do we think this is happening? Why could we be entering a fourth wave? There are several factors that are contributing to this issue. The first one is the growing prominence of the B.1.1.7 (UK) variant. As you remember, this variant is 30%-50% more contagious than the original virus. So it spreads easier. There is also some data that it might be affecting more younger people although that data is not clear as there is some conflicting data. So we have a viral variant that can more easily spread due to several mutations (N501Y in the spike protein which makes it bind to the ACE-2 receptor stronger and a P681H mutation of the spike protein which may promote viral entry into cells in the respiratory tree. Let’s see if you were paying attention last week when I explained what the mutation numbering system means!). So at the same time that we have a virus that spreads more easily, we are opening up many states by relaxing the mask mandates, opening indoor dining which is by far the most risky activity, and downplaying social distancing.  These two items, a variant with increased contagiousness and humans closer together without protection, is leading to this plateau in new cases numbers or at worst the beginning of a rise in new cases per day. Now you add in the kids on spring break to the mix. I’m sure many of you have seen the pictures of multiple young people partying without masks or social distancing in the name of “spring break”. They will leave the warm southern states and bring back their asymptomatic CoViD-19 infections to northern states across the country. We will see the results of this activity in 2-3 weeks. Lastly, this past weekend saw the most people flying this year. People are on the move again. That will also help spread the virus. So, we are at risk for a fourth wave. Parts of Europe are in it right now with countries that had opened up re-closing. Schools that had remained open having to close. Last week the CDC released new guidance recommending 3 feet of separation between students in school but that was based on data from before B.1.1.7 became prominent.  The good news in this scenario is our outstanding vaccine program. We are vaccinating people at a rate that is not seen elsewhere in the world. We have many of our most vulnerable citizen vaccinated and that is resulting in our hospitalization rates and death rates continuing to fall. The 14 day hospitalization rate is -12% and the new death rate is -31%. Lets hope that this trend continues.  Even with our falling death rates, we still have 1500 Americans that lost their lives yesterday due to CoViD-19. That is most unfortunate especially because if people only waited a few more weeks, we would have many more vulnerable people vaccinated and by May, we should have almost everyone who is vulnerable and wants a vaccine vaccinated. Its already April 1st (in a few days). May is right around the corner. We are averaging about 2.5 million shots per day so at this pace, we should exceed 200 million shots given by May 1st. Vaccine hesitancy may play an important role as we reach the point where we have a surplus of vaccine in this country.  So we need to stay the course for just a few more weeks. If you live in a state that is driven by politics and a Governor who doesn’t listen to their public health leaders, then keep your family safe by taking your own actions. Continue to wear masks even when other do not. Preferably wear an N-95 or KN-95 so you are protected. If you don’t have those, create a two ply cloth mask with a vacuum cleaner HEPA bag in between the layers (see the CDC website for how to do this). Do not eat indoors yet unless you are vaccinated. It is warming up across our country so eat outdoors if you are not vaccinated. Maintain 6 feet of separation still even if no one else is doing that. Its just for a few more week until we see how the new variant does. I know its much to ask. You are tired of the pandemic, I am tired of the pandemic. But we made it this far, we need to make it just a little further. When you are eligible, get your self vaccinated so we can get through this together.  Dr. Stu Weiss

iCrowd.com website

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COVID-19 HEADLINES FOR TODAY

Coronavirus update for March 25, 2021 World Wide Updates Mexico’s coronavirus death toll surpasses 200,000 Chile goes into new lockdown amid rapid surge in coronavirus cases Three additional regions in France added for strictest measures COVAX announces vaccine delivery delays from Serum Institute of India and AstraZeneca Peru records highest daily number of Covid-19 cases since pandemic began United Kingdom extends emergency Covid-19 laws for 6 months European Medicines Agency sets up group to examine blood clot links Sweden and Iceland partly resume AstraZeneca vaccine rollout Denmark extends AstraZeneca vaccine suspension for further 3 weeks France’s Macron admits failures in vaccine rollout amid surge in Covid-19 cases India detects new ‘double mutant’ variant as Covid-19 cases spike, raising fears of a second wave Hong Kong and Macao suspend BioNTech coronavirus vaccine rollout due to packaging defect Pope Francis cuts salaries for cardinals and other clerics in Vatican as coronavirus economic fallout pummels Holy See Italy to miss EU target on vaccinations Germany reports significant jump in infection rates Total Cases Worldwide: 125,878,290 Total Deaths Worldwide: 2,762,515 Total Recovered: 101,573,873 US Updates North Carolina will expand Covid-19 vaccine eligibility to all adults starting April 7 Arizona lifts remaining Covid-19 restrictions on businesses and opens vaccinations California expands vaccine eligibility to all adults starting April 15 Pfizer begins vaccine trial for children between ages of 5 and 11 Biden announced new vaccine goal of 200 million shots by first 100 days in office Study finds mRNA Covid-19 vaccines are effective in pregnant and lactating women  New York City mayor suggests Broadway shows could come back in September White House launches new program to vaccinate dialysis patients against Covid-19 Florida will allow all people over age 18 to get Covid-19 vaccinations starting April 5 The CDC is tracking a recent uptick in Covid-19 cases and the chief says spring breakers and eased restrictions concern her US surpasses 30 million Covid-19 cases New AstraZeneca report says vaccine was 76% effective in preventing Covid-19 symptoms Iowa, Louisiana and Washington become latest states to expand Covid-19 vaccines to over 16 year olds Stringer and Levine call for tax restrictions to be lifted in hardest hit NYC neighborhoods Chicago hospital executive resigns after being accused of helping friends and associates jump COVID vaccine line  Infamous New Jersey gym owner offers free memberships to people who don’t get vaccinated Total US cases: 30,750,515 Total US deaths: 559,150 Total Recovered: 23,179,907 Total Tested in US: 385,820,362 Total cases in CA: 3,651,137 Total deaths in CA: 57,826 Total cases in TX: 2,769,701 Total deaths in TX: 47,927 Total cases in FL: 2,027,429 Total deaths in FL: 32,975 Total cases in NY: 1,864,143 Total deaths in NY: 50,083 Total cases in IL: 1,229,898 Total deaths in IL: 23,442 Total cases in GA: 1,051,361 Total death in GA: 18,751 Total Vaccines Administered in US: 133,305,295

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