COVID-19 Update: Tuesday July 28th

Dentist, wastewater, children and Teachers. Today is a bit heavy so a mental health check may be in order.

1. Dentist caution mask wearers not to become mouth breathers. Mouth breathing can dry out the mouth and contribute to the development of cavities. Dentists are concerned that some people will become mouth breathers when wearing masks and want to encourage us not to do that. The possibility of cavities should not be considered a reason not to wear a mask – merely something to be mindful of when you are.

2. Yosemite National Park has had zero reported cases of COVID despite it has being detected in the wastewater. By their calculations about 170 people have been infected. Essentially, they believe there are 170 people with COVID who don’t know it yet. However, these findings were not released or published in any public fashion (the health department was alerted, and it was reported in a local newspaper) so it cannot be independently verified but it is a great example of how wastewater monitoring can alert an area to an outbreak prior to it happening.

3. Japan, Vietnam. and Australia – countries previously considered having the virus under control are all seeing resurgences. But countries like New Zealand, Taiwan, Iceland, Germany, Finland and Norway continue to do well. The fact that the countries all doing the best are female run nations has been making headlines.

4. Hospitalizations among children are up 23% in Florida. Cases, among children (in Florida), are up 34% in just eight days. While the % increases are large, the total numbers are still relatively small with 31k cases, 303 hospitalizations and 5 deaths (according to state reported data). Positivity rates in children in Florida (the % of them that test positive) is 14.4% for the state but as high as 25.3% in some counties. In Texas, cases among the 20-30-year-old group are on the rise. This is largely due to the fact that that age group is not taking precautions like masking, using hand sanitizer, socially distancing, hand-washing etc. Additionally, they have been having informal parties that have allowed the virus to spread easily among them. Just a reminder to the young people that prolonged illness and potentially chronic issues can and have occurred in all ages

5. One in 4 U.S. teachers (or 25% - which is nearly 1.5 million teachers) are considered at increased risk for complications from COVID according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report. This includes teachers over 65 or those with underlying health conditions and does not include other essential school staff.

6. On a positive note, for the last 2 days in the U.S. we have seen slightly lower new case numbers and deaths.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As we end yet another month of this situation and face mere weeks before we begin reopening schools and universities, it is easy to lose hope, to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, exhausted, and unmotivated. So today I want to say thank you. Thank you for all that you have done to keep things right side up. Thank you for all you have done to spread truth, and light, and love. Thank you for all the misinformation you have corrected, the frustration you have held in and for the times you used respect and kindness instead of unnecessary conflict. But most of all, thank you for the incredible sense of community you have created around these daily posts. Thank you for seeking scientific facts and simple truth. Thank you for the questions you ask and the comments you share in a collective group of knowledge. Thank you for being a wonderful community without hate, anger, or name calling. You encourage me daily and when the wheels fall off in my “normal” life I come here and find knowledge seekers, truth spreaders, information sharers and that encourages me. So, thank you. Thank you for being a light amid so much darkness. You are making a difference.

Today's 1918 photo reminds us that mask resistance is not new or unique to 2020. The Anti-mask league was formed during the 1918 outbreak to protest the wearing of masks. There appears to be nothing new under the sun.