The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 176 (676)

Omicron is milder than Delta and the variants preceding it, right? There are some experts who say that describing it as "mild" is not a good thing. The chief of cardiology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine says, "What's mild about hospitals at or near the breaking point? What's mild about hundreds of healthcare workers per hospital out with COVID-19? What's mild about 1.3 million cases in the US just yesterday? What's mild about the rising titer of burnout? What's mild about an unprecedented number of children now ill and hospitalized with COVID-19? I think prudence would suggest that we reframe 'mild' and think more about 'self-limited.' We are likely at or near a plateau but how long will it last and how much more agony awaits?" Cheery, eh?

Speaking of children, the American Academy of Pediatrics reports that one in 10 covid cases among children in the entire pandemic has happened in the last week. According to the CDC, only 18.8 percent of children ages 5 through 11 are fully vaccinated; for children ages 12 through 17, only a bit over half are fully vaccinated. When vaccination for children ages five through 11 was originally authorized, there was a burst of vaccination action. After that, vaccinations fell way off. It seems that many vaccinated parents are waiting to see how things go before getting their younger children vaccinated. A pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases offers this for parents worried about sending kids to school now: "OK, then vaccinate them. We're talking about trying to keep them safe. Here's an idea: Vaccinate your children." Meanwhile, a vaccine for children under the age of five may be authorized within a month.

Some states are dealing with teacher shortages by activating National Guard members or calling in state workers. New  Mexico is relying on both groups as substitute teachers and child care workers. People serving as substitutes must become licensed as substitutes or child care workers and fulfill usual requirements such as background checks and a skills workshop. Oklahoma is letting state agencies allow workers to serve as substitute teachers without affecting regular job, pay, or benefits. According to Burbio, a company that tracks schools, in the past five says, an average of 3,621 of 98,000 public schools have been disrupted each day. 

Some European countries are shifting to treating covid as endemic and here to stay. They're going from crisis mode to control mode, something the WHO says it's too early to do. On the flip side--of both the world and the issue--New Zealand has again tightened border controls except for a small number of exempted visa holders and returning citizens. They are doing this by blocking registration at the official quarantine hotels for March and April. People already booked for January and February can still get into the country and into quarantine. 

Looking at cases per 100,000 people in the last two weeks, the big winner (or loser depending on how you define things) was Wisconsin where cases were up over 200 percent. New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia saw cases drop over 100 percent. Michigan, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, Georgia, and Florida all saw cases go down between zero and 100 percent. 

Are we there yet? Not even close, says me the pessimistic realist. Maybe, says me the more optimistic. I've decided not to go to a quilt show next month. It would have required being in a hotel and crowds for five days. I'm not going to risk it. There's always next year. Or will there?