1/ Some more peeks at age-specific COVID symptom trends from FB/CMU surveys at state level.
Here's Massachusetts and Maine
The rates are VERY LOW- the Northeast is the only oasis of green in the country on COVIDExitStrategy.org
but is there a worrisome trend developing?
2/ Look at the y axis for these states- GA/SC/TN/KY
Unlike MA/ME, they are persistently over 0.8% CLI rate , and heading thew wrong direction, including among the older age group.
Rising deaths will follow.
3/ The y axis jumps again-
MS and LA are very high, especially in youngest age group, but also 55+
They are also among the highest in test positivity.
We need to quench the outbreak in these states. If governments won't, then schools, businesses, families have to act
4/ I'm also worried about Florida
Like Texas, trends came down from the July peak. But unlike Texas, there was a second August wave among the young, and now an increase among the older population
1/ After residency at Mass General Hospital, I reported to Atlanta to meet my fellow CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service Officers.
I have never felt so intimidated by my peers
The best and the brightest, they were star clinicians, had served in disaster zones; MD/PhDs and MSF.
2/ We were placed at various centers throughout CDC, learning from the world's experts- in tuberculosis, mosquito-borne diseases, food-borne diseases, ...
and some of us were placed with state & local Health departments to be on the front lines of outbreak response
3/ In my first day on the job, I got into a city sanitation car to investigate an outbreak of bloody diarrhea at a state psychiatric facility.
My boss has served in the EIS. Her boss, the legendary head of the NYC Bureau of Communicable Disease had also.
1/ A topic of great interest at #JPM was the "better than expected" 2026 Advance Rate Notice for Medicare Advantage that dropped on Friday
I dug into the numbers - let me share what it might portend for plans and risk-taking providers in MA, after a tough couple of years
(🚀)
2/ I have to say I'm surprised how often investors/analysts believe that government actions are fundamentally arbitrary and unpredictable
I believe most agencies will tell you exactly what they're doing and why, if you have the patience to wade into the weeds
(me: a former fed)
3/ The table most people see every year is this one.
Most of these numbers come straight from the actuaries, and there is basically no political interference in eg what number is put in the "Effective Growth Rate" box
1/ The annual quick read and analysis of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that regulates the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) is upon us, folks.
like last year, there are a number of uncontroversial/incremental improvements