Delta variant can infect families from exposed children, even vaccinated adults.

[MichaelB]

Regarding the full hospitals in Japan, is the situation there getting worse due to the Olympics?

Yes.

 

[Alan]

Regarding the full hospitals in Japan, is the situation there getting worse due to the Olympics?

Hard to tell because the infections were going up exponentially before the Olympics, but the Olympics can’t have helped things.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/japan/

 

[anethum]

Maryland is releasing weekly breakthrough case data every Wednesday. Lots of states including MD give cumulative breakthrough numbers rather than new case numbers. New breakthrough case numbers would be far more informative IMO given the current overwhelming presence of Delta and much higher vaccination rates compared to 6 months ago. Nevertheless, I was able to calculate the following numbers for the week of August 2 - August 8 in MD.

Total new covid cases in MD: 4,426
Total new breakthrough cases in MD: 1,303 (out of 4,426; 29.4% of all new cases)

Total new covid deaths: 30
Total new breakthrough case deaths: 8 (out of 30)

MD has a high vaccination percentage, 59.7% of MD's entire population (all ages) is fully vaccinated. 78.7% of the 18+ age population is at least partially vaccinated.

Comparing the breakthrough infection rate with the non-fully-vaccinated infection rate, I calculated that in MD during last week, not-fully-vaccinated Marylanders of all ages had a new infection rate 355% higher than fully vaccinated Marylanders during last week.

MD has the 5th lowest per capita new infection rate among the 50 states at present, and 6th highest fully vaccinated percentage in the US.

Calculated from data in:
https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/

 

[MichaelB]

Regarding the full hospitals in Japan, is the situation there getting worse due to the Olympics?

Hard to tell because the infections were going up exponentially before the Olympics, but the Olympics can’t have helped things.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/japan/

Japan has been very slow to roll out vaccinations. They seem to have acknowledged that lately and have stepped up the pace over the past couple of months, but still only around 1/3 of the population is vaccinated.

 

[Alan]

Japan has been very slow to roll out vaccinations. They seem to have acknowledged that lately and have stepped up the pace over the past couple of months, but still only around 1/3 of the population is vaccinated.

I also don’t believe they have implemented any mandated social distancing measures. Footage on BBC news showed the bars and shops packed as normal.

 

[tmm99]

Regarding the full hospitals in Japan, is the situation there getting worse due to the Olympics?

No, nothing to do with the Olympics. It was actually getting worse even before the Olympics. Younger people are socializing after work and evidently, that is spreading the virus to their close contacts mostly. Serving alcohol in restaurants has been banned for a while as the COVID numbers were increasing via customers socializing over drinks (getting drunk and becoming more careless, I imagine), but people are now buying alcohol in grocery/liquor stores and then partying with co-workers/friends on the streets, parks, etc...

 

[MichaelB]

I also don’t believe they have implemented any mandated social distancing measures. Footage on BBC news showed the bars and shops packed as normal.

Also the commuter trains, still packed like sardines in a can. My son tells me less than half the people on the train use masks.

 

[tmm99]

Also the commuter trains, still packed like sardines in a can. My son tells me less than half the people on the train use masks.

My mom tells me almost everyone is wearing a mask on trains, buses, stores, etc, but it's just her observation. (She lives in Tokyo).

Surprisingly, they never stopped the rush hour trains during the pandemic and people don't seem to get sick via train rides from what I've been told. My feeling is that if you're standing still without saying a word, the chances of transmissions are much lower than say you're eating with a friend in a restaurant while talking. The government is asking people to not talk while they eat in restaurants, and to sit side-by-side instead of face-to-face. Most infections are from close contact with family members by one person socializing outside in eating establishments.

The Japanese government has no power/authority to mandate masks or enforce anything in regards to the pandemic - all they can do is ask...

 

[MichaelB]

My mom tells me almost everyone is wearing a mask on trains, buses, stores, etc, but it's just her observation. (She lives in Tokyo).

Surprisingly, they never stopped the rush hour trains during the pandemic and people don't seem to get sick via train rides from what I've been told. My feeling is that if you're standing still without saying a word, the chances of transmissions are much lower than say you're eating with a friend in a restaurant while talking. The government is asking people to not talk while they eat in restaurants, and to sit side-by-side instead of face-to-face. Most infections are from close contact with family members by one person socializing outside in eating establishments.

The Japanese government has no power/authority to mandate masks or enforce anything in regards to the pandemic - all they can do is ask...

My son lives near Osaka. He and his DW just got their first vaccination. Their son is high risk and we all worry. He said after working from home all last year, his employer insists on 100% office attendance.

 

[tmm99]

d

My son lives near Osaka. He and his DW just got their first vaccination. Their son is high risk and we all worry. He said after working from home all last year, his employer insists on 100% office attendance.

Japanese businesses tend to be pretty old fashioned. I can see them insisting on their employees physically being in their offices unfortunately.

I have no idea what it's like in Osaka or near there, but people there are known to like to dine out and enjoy great food, so I imagine things aren't all that great right now. Japan couldn't procure vaccines early on and I think they are still struggling. My mom in her early 90s got her second dose just last month in fact.

I hope your son and his wife get their second shot very soon...

 

[Alan]

My son lives near Osaka. He and his DW just got their first vaccination. Their son is high risk and we all worry. He said after working from home all last year, his employer insists on 100% office attendance.

Best wishes to all your family Michael. Very scary times.

 

[MichaelB]

My mom in her early 90s got her second dose just last month in fact.

That must have been a great relief for both you and her.

I hope your son and his wife get their second shot very soon...

Best wishes to all your family Michael. Very scary times.

Thanks to both.

 

[Chuckanut]

My son lives near Osaka. He and his DW just got their first vaccination. Their son is high risk and we all worry. He said after working from home all last year, his employer insists on 100% office attendance.

I have a neighbor whose son is married to a Japanese woman. About 6 months ago they decided to move to the states and they now live with her. They think they are safer here due to crowding and other issues they had with how Japan is handling Covid, vaccine, crowding, etc.

The vaccination rate in Japan is on the low side compared to many fully developed countries (37%) , so I'm glad to hear your family members are getting their shots.

 

[ejman]

Kind of crazy in here

Its getting a little strange here in SW Oregon (Rogue Valley) I just learned the National Guard is going to be setting up field tents at our local hospital because they are completely out of space and the Governor has just reinstated a mask mandate. I don't really follow national news much is this going on anywhere else?. The county I live in has about the lowest vaccination rate in Oregon (below 50%) but this seems a bit extreme.

 

[Montecfo]

Practical for you may not be practical for others and certainly may not be "simple."

The word practical was not qualified. People's circumstances may be different, but they still should worry about what they can control in my view.

As Thomas Jefferson said, "How much pain the evils have cost us that never happened."

 

[tmm99]

I have a neighbor whose son is married to a Japanese woman. About 6 months ago they decided to move to the states and they now live with her. They think they are safer here due to crowding and other issues they had with how Japan is handling Covid, vaccine, crowding, etc.

The vaccination rate in Japan is on the low side compared to many fully developed countries (37%) , so I'm glad to hear your family members are getting their shots.

I would feel more comfortable in the US than Japan (except in certain states) as Japan doesn't have many ICU beds per capita compared to the US.

Having said that, the infection rate and death rate per capita for Japan are much, much lower than the rates for the US. The stats show 121 deaths/million for Japan while 1,874 deaths/million for the US. The last 7 days show 0.64 for Japan and 10.03 for the US.

If you're still working, you can drive to work in the US but you most likely have to ride the train or busses to get to work in Japan, so I would feel more vulnerable in Japan if I were still wo*king. But if you do have to live in Japan, the chances of catching COVID are still much much lower there than in the US, so hopefully, you feel good about that.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104709/coronavirus-deaths-worldwide-per-million-inhabitants/

 

[MichaelB]

The word practical was not qualified. People's circumstances may be different, but they still should worry about what they can control in my view.

As Thomas Jefferson said, "How much pain the evils have cost us that never happened."

This is a public health crisis, not individual, so the actions of others, or lack thereof, have a measurable and decisive effect on all of us.

Not sure how the Jefferson quote applies, covid is an evil that is clearly causing pain. Despite the affirmations, this is not a media fabrication. Florida is in a new, third wave and now has a record number people hospitalized for covid. Tell them it’s a media exaggeration.

 

[Montecfo]

This is a public health crisis, not individual, so the actions of others, or lack thereof, have a measurable and decisive effect on all of us.

Not sure how the Jefferson quote applies, covid is an evil that is clearly causing pain. Despite the affirmations, this is not a media fabrication. Florida is in a new, third wave and now has a record number people hospitalized for covid. Tell them it’s a media exaggeration.

I can't act for someone else or change someone else's behavior. Nor can anyone . This is true of Covid and of most things.

No one said Covid was not causing pain. But amplifying that pain, and conjecturing about future events does not make it more bearable. Worry does not improve anything. That was Thomas Jefferson's point. I would add it is unhealthy.

The media amplify bad news and provide little perspective. Focusing on case counts as if every one represents serious disease or death misrepresents the facts and overstates risk. This coverage has badly skewed our understanding of the risks and mortality of Covid.

Cases are at least than 50 percent of the peak nationally. Deaths are closer to 20 percent of peak. There is no number of deaths that is tolerable. But context aids one's understanding of risks.

In my view everyone should avail themselves of the best information and take precautions they seem appropriate all things considered. For me this also means embracing optimism and managing needless worry, as is also consistent with good health.

 

[retire-early]

The media amplify bad news and provide little perspective. Focusing on case counts as if every one represents serious disease or death misrepresents the facts and overstates risk. This coverage has badly skewed our understanding of the risks and mortality of Covid..

Little perspective?

No more ICU beds.
No more elective surgery.
Ambulances waiting at the emergency entrance.

That is the reality.
That is not "normal".

Also, you may not die of Covid, but if you have a heart attack or are in a car accident and
you don't get seen soon enough. But you are still impacted by it.

Think about the overworked staff and how possibly a mistake they make can cause you harm when you are in the hospital for something else.

You better hope you don't get sick and require going into a hospital!

.

 

[retire-early]

Cases are at least than 50 percent of the peak nationally. Deaths are closer to 20 percent of peak. There is no number of deaths that is tolerable. But context aids one's understanding of risks.

I guess you haven't seen Florida's Covid deaths curve.

https://www.google.com/search?q=cov...rome..69i57.3543j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

They are at 141/185 = 76% of peak and still climbing.

 

[ivinsfan]

What's the point of you guys picking on each other, this is getting old.

 

[Katsmeow]

So I went to a doctor's appointment this week. They called me before I went in to go over their questionnaire. Most of it was pretty standard: did I have a fever, had I had Covid in the last 2 weeks, had I had contact with anyone who had Covid in the last 2 weeks, etc. But, then, they asked me if I had traveled in the last 2 weeks to any region with high Covid cases. I was somewhat bemused by this. I responded that I hadn't...but that I do still live in Texas.

It is interesting that different medical places are treating it differently right now. That appointment required me to do the questionnaire, and to wait in my car until they called me to come in and they took my temperature and required a mask. Another doctor I visited last week doesn't ask anything and masks for patients are voluntary. I can see though people are more concerned. I had been in that office at the end of June and maybe 10% of patients were wearing masks. Note that most patients are older so I suspect most are vaccinated. Anyway, last week in the same office, over 90% of patients were wearing masks.

 

[Montecfo]

Little perspective?

No more ICU beds.
No more elective surgery.
Ambulances waiting at the emergency entrance.

That is the reality.
That is not "normal".

Also, you may not die of Covid, but if you have a heart attack or are in a car accident and
you don't get seen soon enough. But you are still impacted by it.

Think about the overworked staff and how possibly a mistake they make can cause you harm when you are in the hospital for something else.

You better hope you don't get sick and require going into a hospital!

.

If merely worrying about those things would help, I would worry.

 

[harllee]

I am trying to find some rapid home Covid tests to have just in case. All the local drugstores and Walmart near me are sold out. I have ordered some from Amazon but my order has never been confirmed, they may be on back order.

 

[disneysteve]

I am trying to find some rapid home Covid tests to have just in case.

Just remember that rapid tests are only useful if they are positive. If you test negative, that doesn't really rule out infection. There is a significant false negative rate. You could also still be in the incubation period and not yet testing positive. Please don't use a negative rapid test as justification for attending a big family function, traveling, not wearing a mask, etc. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security with that home test (or any rapid test for that matter). Even a PCR isn't perfect but it's a lot better.