US reported 158,453 cases yesterday. As cases surge, hospitalizations are also at all-time high, with every state seeing increases over the last two weeks. Now well over 70k are currently hospitalized, while the previous two waves peak at 60k.
Canada's cases continue to rise. Yesterday, they reported a new high of 6,027, as Alberta’s daily average approaches 1k.
Daily cases in Europe have been dropping recently. The daily average is below 250k for the first time since late October, mostly due to the recent decreases in countries like France, Germany, and Spain.
Portugal saw new highs both in daily cases and deaths yesterday, with 8,371 cases reported. Their daily average is approaching 7k from 4.1k two weeks ago.
India reported 28,414 cases yesterday, lowest since mid-July. Daily deaths are also lowest they’ve been in several months. Meanwhile, Delhi is seeing a new wave and record highs in cases.
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"Finland and Norway boast the West’s lowest rates of mortality,..now stand out as the closest Western equivalents to Asian nations that have managed to avoid the worst of the pandemic."
"Their recipe: a brief, targeted lockdown in March, followed by tight border controls with mandatory testing and quarantine for all travelers.
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"Finland and Norway follow a similar playbook of strict border controls, mandatory quarantines and detailed contact-tracing focused on preventing superspreading events when infections do occur.
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Europe's daily cases continue to drop. In France, the number of critical cases began to plateau recently. We should expect a plateau and a subsequent drop in daily death tolls if this trend is to continue.
Serbia has not yet peaked in this wave. Yesterday, they reported 4,994 cases with 24 deaths, both are all-time highs.
Uruguay reported 104 new cases yesterday, marking the first time for the country to surpass 100. Recent growth is coupled with a rise in test positivity, though still relatively low, it is just over 2%, which is a new high.
#COVIDzero
"HALIFAX—This morning, my children went to school—in an old brick building, where they lined up to go in the scuffed front doors. I went to work out at the gym, the real gym, where I huffed and puffed in a sweaty group class @RobertGreenhill 1/ nytimes.com/2020/11/18/opi…
"And a few days ago, my partner and I hosted a dinner party, gathering eight friends around the dining room table for a boisterous night that went too late. Remember those?
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"Where I’m living, we gather without fear. Life is unfolding much as it did a year ago. This magical, virus-free world is just one long day’s drive away from the Empire State Building — in a parallel dimension called Nova Scotia.
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US reported 133,045 cases yesterday, the lowest in the last week. The total confirmed cases in the US hit 11M. The latest million was reached with only 6 days, the fastest ever.
Daily cases in Mexico are currently increasing, after decreasing for a few months. Yesterday, Mexico became the 11th country to reach 1M confirmed cases.
This has resulted in a death toll of almost 100k, ranked 4th in the world.
Sweden announces a ban on gatherings of more than 8 people, as average daily infections reach 3 times of the first wave. Their test positivity rate also surged significantly during this wave, now at 13%, while it averaged below 4% during its worst days in the first wave.
It is manifest that retailers in many parts of the world, owners of airlines, restaurants, bars, shops, are pressing governments to open up the economy even though it will cause disease, death and disability.
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They are short sighted in their advocacy, after all we see the benefits of strong action in Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia in stopping the outbreak and opening normally.
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The economic recovery depends on eliminating the virus. Opening partway then closing, opening and closing will bankrupt business. Business owners are misled in thinking opening with the virus will benefit them. Entire branches of the economy are being destroyed.
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