Covid-19: Friday July 3rd

Friday means a look at the numbers

1. Globally we hit 11 million cases in less than a week. We added 1.2 million cases globally since last Friday and 32k more deaths although that is a 0.25 drop in the case fatality rate (percentage of known cases who die). Switzerland has seen a pretty significant increase in cases so they may be someone you want to monitor over the next week.

2. The US set another record for daily cases yesterday ending the day with over 57k new cases. You may recall that just 2 weeks ago we were seeing daily averages of 20k new cases. We added 337k new cases this week and 5.5k new deaths. For perspective on our pace, here are the weekly case increases (meaning the total number of new cases added over the week) for the last 3 weeks: 170k, 240k, 337k. Florida and Georgia saw significant jumps in their weekly case counts. But in good news, our case fatality rate also went down (4.63%) and is comparable to the global number. We are doing well at keeping people alive.

3. Yesterday news came out about a mutation worth knowing. The mutation was reported by Los Alamos National Laboratory and published in the journal Cell. The study indicates the mutation helps the virus spread more easily and have higher viral loads. We don't know if it makes the virus more severe. What we do know that it means is that if you get it your viral load will be higher making it even easier for you to pass it to others.

4. Research has come out of NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) that says vitamin D doesn't help. You may recall there was a question of if vitamin D could help with prevention or reducing severity. There is still more research already underway so this may change, but early indicators are we can cross this off this list.

FINAL THOUGHTS: For many, this is a long weekend. I slept in and am drinking weekend coffee on a Friday! (I put whipped cream on top of one cup on the weekend). As you make July 4th plans and look to celebrate our nation, take a few simple steps to reduce risk - because as you know this situation is about understanding and mitigating your risk while protecting those around you. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay connected to others because you need them and they need you. Take a break from all the crazy, if you can. Find ways to unwind and relax. I'll see you back here on Monday.