COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: April 19, 2023

26Comments

1. 1.

   NeenerNeener

   April 19, 2023 at 8:03 am

   Monroe County, NY:

   41 new cases on 04/12/23.
   40 new cases on 04/13/23.
   44 new cases on 04/14/23.
   27 new cases on 04/15/23.
   42 new cases on 04/16/23.
   18 new cases on 04/17/23.
   23 new cases on 04/18/23.

   Deaths now at 2243, up 7 since last week.

   They seem to have stopped watching COVID variants around here. The last one recorded was XBB 1.9.1.

2. 2.

   New Deal democrat

   April 19, 2023 at 8:13 am

   Biobot updated yesterday, showing a further slight decrease in COVID particles to 259/mL. Only the West region did not join in the decline. This is the lowest level since late February through early April of last year.  Confirmed cases – which are only useful for the trend – ticked higher in the past 2 weeks, but are still lower than any other time in the past year, and since the start of the pandemic except for May and June 2021.

   Hospitalizations, at 16,300, have also declined to the lowest level of all time since the pandemic began, with the exception of April last year. Deaths are below 200 to 190. This is about average for the past 45 days, which have been the lowest since the onset of the pandemic except for about 1 week in July 2021.

   The CDC variant update last Friday showed that XBB and its subvariants still make up 96.5% of all cases, with subvariants 1.9.1 and 1.16.1 growing to 16% of all cases (but keep in mind that total cases have been declining, so in absolute terms this does not look like the start of a wave at this point).

   The CDC is close to authorizing a new round of booster shots for those over 65 or immunocompromised.

   So far, so good for our annual(?) springtime lull.

3. 3.

   sab

   April 19, 2023 at 8:38 am

   I used to wonder what deer covid had to do with me, since I don’t get close to deer. They are very big and some of them have antlers, so they scare me.

   But they do jump over the fence into my yard. Three of them just this week.

   And I saw my dog in my yard roll in deer poop before she came back into the house.

4. 4.

   eversor

   April 19, 2023 at 8:46 am

   I’m the emergency contact for a few of my friends as they are single guys who’s family is out of state.  I had to bolt out of work early on Monday as one of them got ambulanced to the hospital.   He was short of breath and went to the rapid clinic and they straight sent him to the ICU because of how bad it was.  Work was not happy with it, but screw them I’m going and I’m not going to ask permission, and it turned into a circus.  Now I’m sick and having trouble breathing but I’m not COVID positive.  He’s at home with oxygen tanks and got anti biotics and all sorts of other crap and not doing well.

   The SO does not like my former military buddies but I put my foot down and said he’s coming here with us while he’s on O2 and I don’t care about your views on it.  Also her sisters are like an hour away so she likes to stay with them.  She was understanding about it as her sister also ended up on O2 recently.

   Something is going about and it’s not good.  Between me and the SO we know half a dozen people who got put on a vent or nebulizer and then sent home with oxygen tanks.  I’ve got two people at home now who are not doing well.  The SO made a ton of chicken soup and I’ve got enough scotch to down an elephant and I work close by.  So it’s party at my place and video games.

   Cat hates it as my friend carted his dog over and the cat will not stand for a dog.  So I’m sans the little lady but up two marines on oxygen with a golden doodle chasing the cat.  Maybe we will finish trials of mana.

5. 5.

   sab

   April 19, 2023 at 8:49 am

   @eversor: Approximately where in the US are you? Asking for a friend whose spouse has COPD.

6. 6.

   eclare

   April 19, 2023 at 8:51 am

   @sab:   I think he is in Northern VA.

7. 7.

   eversor

   April 19, 2023 at 8:52 am

   @sab:

   I’m in Arlington VA smack over the Key Bridge from DC.  SO’s family is up in MD and PA Baltimore and Philly area.

8. 8.

   Lapassionara

   April 19, 2023 at 9:04 am

   Thank you, Anne Laurie, for continuing to provide us with comprehensive information on the virus. I’m in the “old and immune system compromised category,” so I am grateful to be able to be informed. Still masking indoors, but I don’t see many others doing the same.

9. 9.

   narya

   April 19, 2023 at 9:07 am

   @Lapassionara: I do quick calculations when I’m on public transport–percent of folks wearing a mask (counting me–I always N95 mask on public transport). It’s dropped somewhat, but I’ve never been the only person wearing a mask, and I’d say it ranges from 10%-25%. I don’t take it every day, and usually not during rush hours, so this is really anecdata, but I’m still glad to see I’m not the only one. Same in stores

   ETA: glad the >65 is being approved–gonna get one as soon as I can.

10. 10.

    Soprano2

    April 19, 2023 at 9:07 am

    @New Deal democrat: I looked at our treatment plant info, and it tracks with what Biobot shows – very low, although not as low as the lowest points. One plant actually shows a green down arrow, which means viral load decreased by three consecutive ≥25% decreases or ≥30% decreases in two of the previous three weeks. That sounds good to me.

    I swear, every time someone imparts some good news about Covid they seem to feel obligated to “balance” it with “but there’s still this bad thing”.  And I think Dr. Lucky is being unfair to the government. Are they not supposed to report the facts about Covid deaths? It has ALWAYS been true that the majority of Covid deaths were among the elderly and immunocompromised – they’re just saying that hasn’t changed. I don’t see anywhere they’re saying “don’t worry, no big deal”.

11. 11.

    Soprano2

    April 19, 2023 at 9:08 am

    @eversor: You are a good person to let him stay at your house.

12. 12.

    oldster

    April 19, 2023 at 9:09 am

    I am happy that the FDA is now saying that people over 65 can get a second dose of the bivalent vaccine! That’s great news!

    [pssst! There are doses of bivalent going begging, and if you walk into your local pharmacy you can just ask for one. Even if you have already had a first bivalent dose. Even if you are not over 65.

    Back when vaccines were in high demand and short supply, it would have been selfish and antisocial to go back for second helpings before it was your turn. But now that excess supply is languishing and stupid people don’t want them? Belly up to the buffet, folks! Get a second dose when you need it! (e.g. 4-6 months after your last dose or last case of COVID.) ]

13. 13.

    eversor

    April 19, 2023 at 9:27 am

    @Soprano2:

    I wouldn’t go that far but thanks.  The raw reality is that it’s just easier to turn my living room into a sick ward than haul my ass to other peoples condos in the area and check in them, bring food, and do laundry.

    Wasn’t my intention either.  Just all of a sudden people started landing in the ICU and I’d had enough of it so out came the inflatable bed and blankets for the couch and off we went.

    This way the chaos is contained.  Though now my condo looks and smells like a bachelor pad so this is going to need fixing before the SO gets back and gets midevil on all of us.

14. 14.

    Wanderer

    April 19, 2023 at 9:57 am

    Looking forward to next booster authorization.  My 5th shot was last September so I know it’s time.  I hope Dr. Walensky signs off on it today.  Our local pharmacies are awaiting the approval –  no further boosters until that signature takes place.

15. 15.

    West of the Rockies

    April 19, 2023 at 10:20 am

    Thank you for a mammoth C19 news source, AL!  So you’re saying Russia a might be lying about something… that is so unlike them.//

16. 16.

    Tenar Arha

    April 19, 2023 at 11:32 am

    @narya: Yeah. ~big sigh~

    Last Friday I went to the movies with a friend. Took the MBTA. There was a game at Fenway so everyone was totally packed into the Green Line cars. And, based on my unscientific survey, I was the only person I could see wearing a mask in that crowded car. ~bigger sigh~

17. 17.

    Geo Wilcox

    April 19, 2023 at 12:08 pm

    Long Covid story. My daughter’s boss’s mom got Covid and lost her sense of taste. She got Covid again and her sense of taste came back immediately. Not sure wtf that means but the mom is VERY happy.

18. 18.

    wenchacha

    April 19, 2023 at 12:13 pm

    I still mask everywhere but at my theater when I am onstage a couple times a month. So far, I have been lucky. I did sit in an audience over the weekend, with no masks in sight, including me. It is dreadfully easy to become complacent.

    All the “masks don’t work” scrap on Twitter is annoying, especially when I see it from people who ought to know better. No doubt my own avoidance of Covid so far is that we have been isolating a lot.

19. 19.

    Mel

    April 19, 2023 at 2:13 pm

    @Soprano2: First, let me say that I know from your comments, your thoughtful conversations here, and your general kindness that you are not a person who sees the ill or disabled in any negative way. But I think that sometimes it helps to have someone who is living an experience clarify what it is like in order to understand more deeply why people react  so strongly to certain things.

    For me, the problem is with the cavalier attitude shown repeatedly by  so many people, (and focused and reinforced by the CDC director) towards protecting the vulnerable. The director and the organization’s clear  verbal expressions of that negative attitude receiving no censure and no comment from the current administration just adds to the fear and frustration.

    Dropping mask requirements in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, and on public transport is a death sentence for many high risk people who have no choice but to utilize these services.

    It’s far, far different, for example , than saying, “Well, I’m angry that I can’t socialize because the government isn’t requiring masks  at music festivals or in bars .”

    There are some battles that the government can fight and win, and some that they can’t win. That being said, here is how it affects me personally, and so many others. I say this not because I don’t get where you are coming from, but because the actions snd statements of the CDC, healthcare entities, and local governments look, feel, and impact us differently than they do people in robust health.

    So, let me start by saying that most of the people I know who are still having to isolate or to grossly limit their contact to stay alive or keep someone they love safe and alive are suffering, truly suffering,  economically, professionally, mentally, socially.
    There is no workplace masking requirement, and in most workplaces, employees are coming in sick again. There are no distancing measures, no new air filtration measures, and no reasonable accomodations required to be made re: distancing, masking, etc. for the immunosuppressed/ immunocompromised. Yes, vulnerable people can mask, but research has repeatedly shown that a single person masking in an environment full of unmasked people (esp. with an airborne virus that can infect through the eyes). Is still at significant risk. Masking works better if all or most people are masked. Employers tell the vulnerable to use up their leave ir vacation time(if they even gave any).

    Fine, but what are the employees supposed to do when that is exhausted? I know at least five people whose careers have been completely derailed because they had to choose between their life or their job. My hubby has lost clients for no greater reason than that he requires clients to wear a (provided and free, with extras out for the taking if someone knows a person in need of masks) mask for face to face meetings, b/c he and I are both on immunosuppressants, and his sibling is battling pancreatic cancer.

    People with whom he has had Zoom meetings, who rave about the assistance he provides for them, who refer friends, have suddenly had tantrums and pitched fits when he explains why they will have to wear a mask for 30 minutes: to protect his brother and his spouse, both of whom  are likely to die if we contract Covid.

    This is what too many people are up against, financially. We can choose to go out to eat or not. We can choose to go to a concert or not. If we’re very lucky, we can pay extra money to have groceries and some other necessities delivered. But we cannot “choose” to give up our lifeline income.

    All the time, vulnerable people hear, “Well, it’s your problem, not mine. If you don’t like (people coming to work sick/ no masking anywhere/no distancing/ no reasonable accommodations to save lives) than you stay home. It’s your choice.!”

    Well, we can isolate, and suffer the stress, depression, and grief that comes with being cut off from most aspects of normal life, in order to stay alive. No library.No hugging our nieces and nephews. No evenings on the porch, pulling up chairs and visiting with neighbors. No concerts. No nice dinner out to celebrate a 25th anniversary. And we do choose to give those up, to stay alive. All those simple, vital, beautiful things, gone. We have to  choose to do so, b/c so many of the people around us (and our government) do not care about the impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens.

    Because our CDC thinks it’s “good” that it’s largely just all of us disposable people dying, not the healthy workforce.  It’s infuriating and heartbreaking at the same time. But we have made hard choices and continue to do so , and keep trying to find a way to exist in a country that believes we are, at best, invisible, but indicates by word and deed that we are seen as disposable, as cannon fodder and as acceptable losses.

    Here’s the other side of the ”if you don’t like it, just stay home” equation. Those who rely on their jobs to support themselves or a vulnerable loved one can’t “choose” to just give up their income, their insurance, their hopes of someday being able to retire. And for those who are the sole breadwinner because of a child, parent, or partner being ill or at high- risk, the choice is even harder.

    Seeking healthcare is another area where we are being, ironically, forced to risk our lives to try and stay alive. In my area, only one hospital still has any kind of masking requirement. If I go to see my internist, for example, I can look forward to a 30 minute wait in a crowded room with no staff masked and only a few patients masked. At my last visit, many of the people there clearly had respiratory symptoms. My doctor masks, and is horrified by the lack of masking in healthcare facilities, but is powerless to change it. I went for a cardiac procedure, and only one medical staffer, a technician, was masked. In a cardiac facility, full of high-risk patients.

    I have a dilated heart as one of the many issues due to my autoimmune illness. I can choose to not go shopping. I cannot “choose” to not get cardiac care.  The CDC knows this, and yet they pull even the most basic safety measures for hospitals and medical facilities. Am I angry? Am i scared? Every day.  Are so many others in my position also feeling deserted, unheard, sacrificed? Yes.

    This is an underlying issue that the CDC’s and the government’s positions and choices have  really pushed to the forefront for the disabled, the ill, and the at-risk elderly.

    We are so often seen as not having value. I have personally had a doctor tell me that I “ought to my be eternally in debt” to my spouse for not deserting me when it became apparent that I would have to give up teaching, and that I couldn’t safely “give him children”. This is the kind of attitude that we face far too often.

    I can’t count the number of “Christian” people who have told me , unsolicited and without knowing me at all, that “God only gives you what you deserve”.

    This attitude is pervasive, destructive, and honestly, it is devastating in a multitude of ways for people on the receiving end of it. We can’t work, or we can’t create a bio family, so therefore we are no longer seen by many as feeling, thinking  people. Instead, we become a number, a burden, a “drain on society”.  It has always been heartbreaking to experience this, but the added cruelty and isolation brought about by Covid have really made it an unavoidable truth – this is how we are viewed and (de)valued by a startlingly large portion of our country, and the CDC, which by by its very purpose should be formulating policy to protect the  vulnerable, and  is not.

    Another issue is that healthy people often assume that vaccinations will protect the immunosuppressed or immunocompromised in the same way that it protects the young and  healthy. The vaccines are a damn miracle in general, but they are not enough for the above group, many of whom cannot produce a strong immune response to vaccinations. I have had every vaccine booster, but I am not fully protected. The next line is, “Well, if you get Covid, just take Paxlovid!” For many on immunosuppressants that keep us alive, those same medications (CellCept, for example, which treats some serious autoimmune conditions and some cancers), have severe interactions with Paxlovid, meaning that we are unable to use the only real post-infection medication still available and effective.

    So, when we hear the CDC say that it ‘s “good” that it’s just us junk people dying or getting severely ill from Covid, and that it isn’t important for even our healthcare providers to mask to protect us in healthcare facilities, the message couldn’t be clearer. We don’t count. We don’t matter. And that is a difficult and painful reality to have to accept.

20. 20.

    Mel

    April 19, 2023 at 2:32 pm

    @Wanderer: Same here. Our pharmacist is still waiting for Walensky to give the go-ahead so that he can start scheduling boosters.

21. 21.

    Mel

    April 19, 2023 at 2:34 pm

    @eversor: You are good and kind to do this. 💕

22. 22.

    Wanderer

    April 19, 2023 at 3:17 pm

    @Mel: Beautifully said. I hope we are able to be boosted soon.  In a different timeline perhaps a different leadership team was able to contain this and it would not become endemic.

23. 23.

    Mel

    April 19, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    @Wanderer: My fingers are crossed that we can get boosted soon. We missed our third Christmas with my nieces and nephews and little grandnieces and nephews. I keep hoping against hope that something will change and I can see them and hug them and tell them in person that I love them dearly. I adore them and miss them so much.

24. 24.

    Wanderer

    April 19, 2023 at 5:55 pm

    @Mel: Stay safe, stay strong. It must be a heavy burden to not see the little ones. Hopefully the approval will be done soon and that will increase the safety margins.  There is a small machine for kids that receives/ sends texts, has video chat. Parents must invite people to text and approve all requests asking to text the young ones. They can not, as I understand, contact any websites or anyone not on the approval list.  That may be a new, fun way to maintain contact. I use one with my grandkids. I will tell you as the newness wears off the texts as less though. It’s made by v- tech toys. Adults use their own devices.

25. 25.

    Mel

    April 19, 2023 at 9:04 pm

    @Wanderer: Thank you!! I’m looking for one online as soon as I send this.

26. 26.

    J R in WV

    April 20, 2023 at 11:14 am

    I was so relieved to see that W VA has a big old white-tail deer bullseye for Covid infections. Got to keep up that stupid reputation !!!

    Cough…cou…$*%$^%$