Dr. Stuart Weiss: COVID-19 Update Tuesday 17-November-2020
By “Dr. Stuart Weiss, Intelligent Crowd Solutions – Rapid Test Center of NY”
Rapid Test Center of New York
Dr. Stuart Weiss, FACEP, FAAP, CBCP
Nov 17, 2020
CoViD-19 News and Information you can trust. Welcome new members from the Rapid Test Center.
Topics: So Where Are We?
So Where Are We?
We are heading into what might be the darkest days of the pandemic so far. Our numbers are increasing across the country and we are starting at a much higher baseline than we have had in the past. All 50 states are reporting increasing CoViD-19 case new case numbers. 39 States have hit new records over the past week. Hospitals in many states are full and deaths, which often lag behind cases and hospitalizations by 4-5 weeks are rising with a national average of 1,100 per day and rising.
States across the country are looking at ways to curtail the spread. I think we will see some amount of lockdowns occur in hotspots. We are already seeing some Governors shut down restaurants and implement curfews. At the Federal level, there is essentially nothing being done. Schools are closing and when college kids come home, they may find their spring semester is remote, from home.
So, get ready. The virus seems to have mutated to be more contagious and less lethal. That is good but with the increasing numbers, we will still see a rise in deaths overall. Thanksgiving throws another unknown into the mix with kids coming home from school and families getting together. This is looking like the year to do small Thanksgiving dinners with your immediate family only.
There is some good news on the vaccine front. We have had announcements of good data from two vaccine trials, Moderna and Pfizer. Both seem to be highly effective to prevent disease. They require two doses. We should have 5 million doses in December which will protect 2.5 million people. This will go to critical infrastructure folks. We probably won’t have vaccine for the general population until April/May. The second dose will be given in May/June. We don’t know how long the protection from the vaccine lasts or what groups it protects best. The issue with the Pfizer vaccine is it requires very cold temperatures to store it.
A new study just published seems to indicate that people may actually have some protection from getting another infection for months to years. Its a preliminary study but if true, that would be good news for many people. While anti-bodies levels may fall after 3-4 months, immune cells hang around for much longer.
Please think carefully about big Thanksgiving gatherings. They are dangerous. If you are having a large family gathering, have it outdoors and be conscious of social distancing. Get folks tested before getting together. Be smart.
Be well,
Dr. Stu Weiss
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| COVID-19 HEADLINES FOR TODAY Coronavirus update for November 17, 2020 World Wide Updates France becomes first country in Europe to reach 2 million coronavirus cases Sweden reports more than 15,000 new Covid-19 cases since Friday Group that donates menstrual products is reporting a huge increase in need during the pandemic India’s daily cases fall to lowest level since July German Chancellor Merkel: Coronavirus situation remains “very serious” Austria is entering a stricter lockdown today South Australia places 4,000 people in quarantine to curb new outbreak Packed morgues and excess deaths tell a darker story than Russia’s official Covid numbers suggest South Korea to strengthen social distancing measures in Seoul Japanese store tests “clerk robots” that can detect if customers are not wearing masks Countries letting coronavirus go unchecked are “playing with fire,” WHO director-general says UK has reached “initial agreement” with Moderna to secure 5 million doses of candidate vaccine 65 WHO staffer in Geneva contract coronavirus, report says British Airways to launch coronavirus testing trial Spain deaths are at their highest in second wave so far Italy may face tougher measure as death toll hits 731 in 24 hours Total Cases Worldwide: 55,867,543 Total Deaths Worldwide: 1,341,654 Total Recovered: 38,894,810 US Updates FDA needs to be more clear when it authorizes coronavirus vaccines and treatments, report says More Americans see normal activities as risky, new poll finds Pfizer has kept both Trump and Biden’s teams informed about vaccine developments, CEO says Utah’s 7-day average for new coronavirus cases tops 3,000 US government agency warns of possible coronavirus vaccine production bottlenecks NFL Covid-19 positive tests remain elevated in latest testing window Tourism in New York City may not recover until 2024, agency says Ohio issues statewide curfew starting Thursday North Dakota senator says he doesn’t regret his state not issuing mask mandate sooner as cases increase Phoenix mayor calls for a statewide mask mandate Vaccines won’t work unless enough people get them, Fauci says Iowa governor says Covid-19 hospitalizations have more than doubled since Nov. 1 GOP. Sen. Chuck Grassley is quarantining after he was exposed to Covid-19 White House coronavirus task force warns of “further deterioration” as pandemic worsens Navajo Nation president says strict public health measures helped them avoid one of the US pandemic waves North and South Dakota doctors face ICU and staffing shortages as coronavirus cases skyrocket Trump’s transition sabotage threatens vaccine rollout Breast milk not a likely source of Covid-19 transmission, CDC says Pfizer prepares to file for emergency use authorization after vaccine reaches safety milestone, CEO says FDA sets meeting for vaccine advisory committee Don’t take plasma from people who have been vaccinated to treat coronavirus, FDA cautions Navajo Nation goes into a 3-week lockdown Pfizer to test coronavirus vaccine distribution in 4 US states Los Angeles mayor warns of “very dangerous situation” amid surge of Covid-19 cases Walmart will start counting customers again as coronavirus cases reach record levels NY reports more than 2,100 people hospitalized with coronavirus as infection rate climbs NJ Supreme Court suspends jury trials following surge in COVID-19 cases Total US cases: 11,658,505 Total US deaths: 253,875 Total Recovered: 7,063,305 Total Tested in US: 164,366,274 Total cases in TX: 1,106,235 Total deaths in TX: 20,218 Total cases in CA: 1,050,978 Total deaths in CA: 18,317 Total cases in FL: 889,864 Total deaths in FL: 17,561 Total cases in NY: 605,881 Total deaths in NY: 34,051 Total cases in IL: 597,849 Total deaths in IL: 11,317 Contact us |
