COVID cases started falling steadily in the US in the middle of January. They plateaued in March and April and then dropped again until a couple of weeks ago. That decline in COVID cases was presumably because tens of millions of Americans were getting vaccinated. Now, though, COVID cases are surging in several states.
The Quick Reversal:
I posted an article on this website back on June 3rd. It was titled:
“COVID Cases Are Falling and Vaccines Are Working!”
The numbers looked great. COVID cases were down 46%. Deaths were down 35% and hospitalizations were down 22%. It is hardly any wonder that people were ready to party.
On June 23rd, the seven-day average was 11,280 cases a day. By Tuesday of this week, the seven-day average had doubled to more than 23,000 cases a day. Over the last week, COVID-related hospitalizations were up 23%. Worse, new daily reported deaths rose 32%. That’s after months of declines. Virtually every state has seen a rise in coronavirus cases.
Public health authorities say that COVID cases are surging because of the Delta variant. By now we know you are aware that it is more contagious than previous versions of COVID-19. But do you care?
Millions Don’t Seem to Care That COVID Cases Are Surging:
Many people threw away their masks and decided the pandemic was over. They celebrated the Fourth of July by going to parties, sporting events or just hanging out with friends and family. They traveled on vacation by airplane. The phrase “what pandemic?” seemed to be the new philosophy.
People are done with COVID, but COVID is not done with them! ICUs are starting to fill, but not so much with older people. Instead, those between 20 and 40 who are not vaccinated are increasingly vulnerable.
Where COVID Cases Are Surging:
There are hot spots in Florida, Missouri, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana and Nevada. But lots of states are seeing the COVID curve head up again. Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Georgia, Delaware, South Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi, Utah and Arizona are experiencing worrisome increases.
What are we to make of the data? Many people don’t care. They are convinced they are bullet proof.
When we go into our local grocery store, we see a lot of 20-somethings acting as if the pandemic is long gone. They have given up on masks and are having a good old time laughing and dashing around the store without a care in the world.
A lot of older people are still being careful, though. Most are masked, even though it is likely that the majority have been vaccinated.
The Great Unvaccinated:
The people who are ending up in the hospital these days are younger and rarely vaccinated. Take Los Angeles County as an example. COVID cases are surging there. Public health authorities are reporting more than 1,000 coronavirus cases daily. The LA County health services director informed the Board of Supervisors that every single patient admitted to the LA county hospitals has not been fully vaccinated.
We know that a great many visitors to this website believe that COVID doesn’t kill people. They continue to insist that it is no worse than the flu. They refuse to wear masks and they oppose vaccines.
These folks have resumed their old activities without worry. We hope that they do not catch the Delta variant. It is killing people now that COVID cases are surging. If the virus is bad now, what will happen when cold weather returns and people spend more time indoors?
