John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center 2/08/2022, 8:21 PM
Confirmed US COVID Infections 77,051,225
Confirmed US COVID Deaths 908,844

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The 1918 flu didn’t end in 1918.

Here’s what its third year can teach us.
“The country’s experience a century ago suggests that we could be in for a lot more pain — especially if we let our guard down. By the winter of 1919-1920, Americans were weary of the limitations on daily life. Nearly all of the public health restrictions — such as mask-wearing, social distancing and the closure of schools and churches — had been lifted. A hasty return to public gatherings led to an increase in case numbers. Politicians either blamed people’s carelessness for the reemergence of the virus or downplayed the seriousness of it.

“The fourth wave was not front-page news in the way that prior spikes had been. The coverage was often relegated to small paragraphs deep inside newspapers, reporting thousands of new cases on a weekly or even daily basis. By February 1920, there was an epidemic. One physician wrote a letter to the editor in the New York Times in the winter of 1920, begging people to avoid “needless exposure to influenza” through unnecessary social contact. But if the fourth wave failed to generate the kinds of headlines and fear of its predecessors, it wasn’t for a lack of lethality. In New York City, more people died in the period from December 1919 to April 1920 than in the first and third waves. Other US cities also experienced significant fourth waves, and severe “excess mortality” was reported.” Washington Post

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February 2022

A growing number of Americans say they're ready to live with the coronavirus and move on. Polls indicate Americans are comfortable taking more risks as the virus continues to circulate, accepting the possibility that they may eventually get covid-19 and that, if they're vaccinated and boosted, it probably won't be too bad. They are reviving plans they canceled earlier in the pandemic, resuming the activities they put on hold.

We’ve been here before, of course. And we know that we're one variant away from going through the same cycle again. But prior experience tells us that the more people move on, the harder it will be to reverse course if cases resurge. Omicron infections are still running extremely high relative to previous waves.

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Dropping Omicron Cases

2/02/2022: Missouri Positivity Rate: 27.9%
2/03/2022: Missouri Positivity Rate: 26.9%
2/04/2022: Missouri Positivity Rate: 25.7%
2/05/2022: Missouri Positivity Rate: 24.3%
2/06/2022: Missouri Positivity Rate: 23.5%
2/07/2022: Missouri Positivity Rate: 22.4%
2/08/2022: Missouri Positivity Rate: 21.6%
2/09/2022: Missouri Positivity Rate: 21.1%

Meanwhile, most people, who are currently hospitalized for COVID, are not vaccinated. At this same time, Missouri Vaccination Rates are not going up by much….
Missouri Overall Vaccination Rate: 54%

St Louis County’s Vaccination Rate 62%
Our County’s Vaccination Rate 43.8%
Douglass County’s Vaccination Rate 24%

“The number of hospitalized Covid patients has risen in the Douglas County area. Deaths have remained at about the same level. The test positivity rate in Douglas County is very high, suggesting that cases are being significantly undercounted.” NY Times The same is also being said about most Missouri counties… Many, many Missouri counties have a vaccination rate below 30%.

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Deaths Still Rising

While some experts have expressed hope the worst of the pandemic may have passed, others have said the respite may be short-lived with deaths still rising in at least 35 states, reflecting a lag between when people are infected and when they may die from the virus.

"We are guaranteed to have another variant surge," Melissa Nolan, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health, told USA TODAY. "While the current vaccines and boosters worked for omicron, they are less likely to work against future variants."

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'Stealth omicron' more infectious

The subvariant of omicron known as “stealth omicron’’ – technically BA.2 – has been gaining attention as it spreads to about 50 countries, including the U.S. The notion that it might be more contagious than the original omicron variant – BA.1 – is enough to raise concerns, considering how much disruption the first version has caused in taking over delta as the dominant strain of the coronavirus.

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COVID Hospitalizations Remain the Highest of the Pandemic

“KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first time in months, every state in the U.S. reported either being stable or a drop in new COVID-19 cases. While it’s progress, health experts said rates are still higher now than any other time in the pandemic. In Kansas City, the number of infections has also dropped considerably, according to doctors, but hospitals remain full. ‘We are still seeing that effect of those great number of hospitalizations that we’ve been dealing with for the past several weeks,’ Dr. Dana Hawkinson, at the University of Kansas Health System, said during an update.”

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Public Health vs Politics

“Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, St. Louis health director, said Missouri’s approach to public health is making it harder to fight COVID. Davis said Gov. Mike Parson allowing the public health emergency to expire and Attorney General Eric Schmitt suing schools over mask mandates are making it harder to keep pandemic numbers in check.” St Louis Public Radio

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Children at Risk

As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to decline, there's growing concern about another condition that's on the rise. It's called multisystem inflammatory syndrome and it's still a risk among children who also contract COVID-19. Most doctors will tell you we're not out of the woods yet with COVID-19. While it's encouraging to see case numbers and hospitalizations going down, doctors at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City are seeing cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome go up. It's a syndrome that takes hold after recovering from COVID-19.

“‘You can still develop this huge inflammatory response, you know, a few weeks later,” Children’s Mercy Hospital Dr. Angela Myers said. “Which can affect the liver, the heart, the lungs, the kidneys, develop a rash and high spiking fevers,” Myers said the syndrome didn't seem to be a problem with the delta variant, but omicron is different.

“Even though a young child might not have significant symptoms with a COVID-19 infection, they are at risk for developing this multisystem inflammatory syndrome later,’ Myers said. That's why doctors are pushing for more children to get vaccinated and to keep COVID-19 prevention methods in place.” KMBC News

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“Missouri is the only state not yet distributing federal COVID-19 funds to K-12 schools.

The School Superintendents Association says Missouri is the only known state in the nation that has not authorized the distribution of federal coronavirus relief funds designated for schools. Sasha Pudelski, director of Advocacy for the national organization, says the Missouri Legislature has not yet allowed the state Department of Education to dole out the nearly two-billion dollars in funding. If the state does not approve the funding for distribution by March 24, the money will be doled out to other states for use instead.” Missourinet

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“‘Now is not the moment’ to drop mask rules, CDC director says as states end mandates.” Washington Post

“At least 5 states plan to ease face-mask mandates against advice of CDC, as U.S. daily death toll hovers close to 2,600. That’s a far higher daily death toll than in other wealthy countries and reflects the large number of Americans who are not vaccinated.” Market Watch

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“Missouri’s War on Public Health Shows Extent of National Rift”

“ST. LOUIS — Republican Missouri state Sen. Mike Moon believes that covid-19 vaccinations, especially among children, should cease until the long-term effects are known.
“Serving at the pleasure of elected leaders is becoming ‘twisted and grotesque’ amid extreme politicization, said Brian Castrucci, CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, which advocates for public health. ‘Governmental public health leaders are being chosen based on their political ideology rather than their scientific and leadership abilities. This is public health dying,’ he said. ‘A dark age of politics has begun that is choking science.’”

For anyone interested, here is a link to the complete article: https://khn.org/news/article/public-health-national-rift-covid-misinformation-missouri/

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"You're more likely to die from COVID in the US than other wealthy nations"

"Although the omicron variant of the coronavirus appears less likely to cause severe disease compared to previous dominating strains, the U.S. is still experiencing more COVID-19 deaths than at any other point in the pandemic. Low vaccination and booster rates, lack of testing and consequences from a flawed health system have stunted U.S. progress in the pandemic, leading to more COVID-19 deaths and a higher case-fatality rate, health experts say." USA Today