COVID-19 Update: Friday, May 7th

Numbers, Teens, and variants.

1. Numbers for the US are looking good....no, not good, GREAT. Ok...maybe not great. But really good. For the week we added 325k (rounded) new cases. There was a time when we were adding more cases than that in a day. This is the lowest week we have seen since the week of October 16th. We had 4,799 deaths this week - (also the best we have seen since October), our CFR remained at 1.78 (meaning 1.78% of people who get COVID die) which is a vast improvement from the nearly 6% we started with. Globally, cases and deaths were also down, although only slightly. The global CFR is 2.09 - so slightly higher than the US. It is estimated that global death counts may be off by as much as double. But that is only an estimate based on overtaxed systems and underreporting.

2. The variant seen in India is in the US. The good news is that thus far it does not seem to be any more severe and the vaccines seem to be holding their own.

3. Both Moderna and Pfizer will be seeking full FDA approval.

4. Pfizer is now being given to those 16 and older and has proven to be quite effective in that age group. Moderna is now also saying their vaccine is 96% effective in teens. They just finished up their study and haven't yet rolled it out. The study sizes were fairly small as the purpose was primarily determining the best dosing for minors. There were 3k teens in the Moderna study. So this opens new options for getting teens vaccinated which will let them get back to a more normal type of life. For those who are uneasy - I recommend waiting 6 weeks after the vaccines are being given out to the public. If something is going to go awry, it will happen within 6 weeks. On a related note, we are seeing about a 22% increase in the number of children (those under 18) getting COVID. There are lots of reasons for this, so I wouldn't be too worried about it just yet, but we should be aware. Studies are still underway for vaccinations in those under 16.

5. More good news, they are working to make the boosters (should we need them) transdermal patches. So no shots. Just put the patch on, let it sit for a given amount of time, and remove it. This is great news so here's hoping they get that perfected (they have used transdermal patches for vaccines in other countries in the past so this is not entirely new)

FINAL THOUGHTS: This weekend is Mother's Day. For some, it is a day of breakfast in bed and handwritten cards from sticky little fingers serving burnt toast. For some, it is a trip to the zoo or lunch at a favorite restaurant or some other family outing. But for some, it is a day of sadness and grief as you remember your mom and wish she was still with you, for others, it is a day of loneliness because your children are grown, for some it is a day when you are painfully reminded of all you have lost, or that which you longed for and never had, as if you could ever forget. And for a rare few, it is a day that marks all of those things.

If you are lucky enough to have children, squeeze them tightly this weekend, even if they complain. Close your eyes and breathe in their sweet smell - even if it isn't so sweet a smell. And if you are blessed enough to still have your mother - reach out to her and let her know how much you love her and how much she means. Reach out to the women around you who are grieving this mother's day, and celebrate with those who are celebrating because this year, more than ever, we need each other. This year we need to celebrate with one another and cry with one another. Let yourself feel what you feel. Let yourself love. Let yourself rest. Happy Mother's Day!