A Look at COVID in August

A LOOK AT COVID-19 : AUGUST 2021

DELTA VARIANT UPDATE

“Masks should be worn indoors by all individuals (age 2 and older) who are not fully vaccinated. Consistent and correct mask use by people who are not fully vaccinated is especially important indoors and in crowded settings, when physical distancing cannot be maintained.”

– CDC back-to-school COVID guidelines

BY THE NUMBERS ✦ Globally, total reported cases of COVID stood at 205 million on August 11, and total deaths had reached 4.3 million.(1) ✦Total reported cases in the USA reached 37 million and total deaths exceeded 634,000. (2) ✦Arizona has seen a total of 950,000 cases and 18,400 deaths attributed to Covid. (3) ✦Gila County has had 7,520 reported cases and 239 deaths, with 1,522 cases in zip code 85501. (4) ✦In July, countries began reporting a strong surge in cases, largely due to the Delta variant. More than two dozen countries were seeing sharp rises in cases. (5) ✦In Gila County, the spike took the form of 257 new cases in July, with 165 in Globe-Miami. Across Arizona, there were 1,131 people hospitalized for COVID at the end of July. In response, the City of Globe is reinstating masking requirements for members of the public visiting City facilities. (6) ✦The United States is now seeing over 125,000 new cases per day. Just two months ago, that number was under 10,000. (7)

“I encourage you to think about getting vaccinated, not only for yourself but for our kids. We’re seeing a lot more kids within our community testing positive for this disease.”

–Globe Mayor Al Gameros, Aug. 10

“This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

– CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky (8) ✦In states like Arizona and Florida, the governors support vaccination and make a point that people are free to wear masks and practice social distancing if they choose. ✦Arizona’s Gov. Doug Ducey said, “Public health officials in Arizona and across the country have made it clear that the best protection against COVID-19 is the vaccine.” And his spokesman C. J. Karamargin said, “Arizona is not anti-mask.” (10) ✦So in these states, it’s people’s free, individual decisions not to get vaccinated and not to wear masks that is leading to these states having high case rates and high numbers of deaths. ✦Maricopa County is currently the #3 county in the United States by number of deaths, with 10,546 deaths. (11) ✦Gov. Ducey last month signed a law preventing mask requirements in school districts and charters—even during campus COVID outbreaks. Ducey said, “There will be no mask mandates. We have a proven solution with the vaccine.” (12) ✦But the reliance on the vaccine leaves unvaccinated people vulnerable—and there are a lot of them. Including all children under 12. ✦150 Arizona doctors wrote to the governor, saying, “Your prohibition on mask requirements means no Arizona school can provide a safe learning environment. Each and every one of our students and their educators deserves better.” (13) ✦Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis has been vaccinated. He said, regarding vaccination, “You can still test positive, but at the end of the day you can turn this from something that was much more threatening to a senior citizen, say, to something that is more manageable.” (9) ✦Floridians are about 50% vaccinated. And with the circulation of the Delta variant, Florida’s case numbers are now at their highest point since the pandemic began. Death rates are inevitably starting to spike, too. Some hospitals have stopped taking non-emergency patients. (14)

“We’re all exhausted, the emergency rooms are overrun, we’re at 100% bed capacity.”

– Frederick Southwick, infectious diseases specialist, Gainesville (15) ✦In Texas, where less than 45% of people are fully vaccinated, more than 53 hospitals have run out of ICU beds. The Texas department of health is searching for medical staff to come in from out of state. In Houston, tents are going up—amid 90° temps and 60% humidity— to house overflow patients. Hospitals across Texas are postponing elective procedures to free up beds and staff. (17) ✦“This surge is by far the fastest and most aggressive that we’ve seen. ICU staff are seeing a younger population in our hospitals. Patients in the ICU are sicker and stay in the hospital longer than with prior surges, putting more strain on hospital resources.” Dr. Desmar Walkes, AustinTravis County health authority (18) ✦Arkansas and Louisiana are among the states also suffering, with under 40% of the population vaccinated in both states. Aug. 10, Arkansas had only 8 ICU beds available in the entire state. The average age of COVID patients in Arkansas is around 40. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is now saying he wishes he hadn’t imposed a law forbidding schools from requiring masks. (19) ✦“These are the darkest days of this pandemic. We are no longer giving adequate care to patients.” Catherine O’Neal, chief medical officer, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Baton Rouge (20)

“When they see their friends going on respirators, they’re starting to realize that [the vaccine misinformation] is all exaggeration.”

– Frederick Southwick, infectious diseases specialist, Gainesville (16)