As of January 7th in New York State:
- almost 12K hospitalized with COVID
- almost 1.5K in ICU with COVID
3/ Here's NYC's COVID data:
🟦 blue = hospitalizations
🟧 orange = ICU
🟥 red = deaths
4/
5/ In NYS, both hospital & ICU admissions are⬆️ing.
The Omicron hospitalization & ICU peak in NYS may be as high as it's been in peaks past.
6/ Here's data on COVID patients needing ICUs & ventilators in NYC:
🟦 = COVID patients in the hospital
🟪 = COVID patients in the ICU
7/ In NYC, there's been a 200-300% increase in COVID patients in the ICU since mid-December.
H+H = NYC's public hospital system
BE = Bellevue Hospital
8/ In NYC, there's been a 150-200% increase in COVID patients needing intubation & mechanical ventilation since mid-December.
H+H = NYC's public hospital system
BE = Bellevue Hospital
9/ While we may see cases shooting up more steeply RELATIVE to hospitalizations, ICU admissions, & mechanical ventilation,
those increases in hospitalizations, ICU admissions, & mechanical ventilation are much steeper here than they were in the UK/Europe.
10/ Why might the US experience with Omicron diverge from the European one?
- We have lower vaccination rates
- We've done a worse job at boosting our elderly & nursing home residents
- Residual Delta transmission
11/ Our social dynamics may play an important role here, too.
How is the U.S. different from the UK & Europe?
- No paid sick leave or family leave
- No universal healthcare
- Several hundred year history of racism & exploitation
That might have something to do with it, too.
12/ What's concerning is that NYC & NYS have much higher vaccination rates than the rest of the U.S.
This doesn't bode well for the rest of the country:
13/ Each wave tends to be dominated by transmission among younger people, later rippling out to older and older age groups.
Some simple math:
even if Omicron is 50% less deadly (say 50% lower case fatality rate)
if you have 2x as many cases because it's more infectious
you have the same # of deaths.
15/ 🟨 = hospitalized
🟥 = in ICU
🟪 = ventilated
16/ COVID vaccines work... but all too many of our most vulnerable remain UNVACCINATED:
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What’s changed isn’t the science. It’s the process.
Policy is increasingly announced by officials online & outside the usual evidence review, creating mixed messages for families.
on @CBSMornings with @edokeefe @TheKellyOGrady
2/ Normally, FDA reviews products, then CDC’s vaccine advisers (ACIP) publicly weigh evidence & vote.
CDC adopts guidance, which insurers & programs like Medicaid, the Children's Vaccine Program (CHIP), & Vaccines for Children follow.
That process has been corrupted.
3/ This season, the FDA narrowed COVID vaccine approvals:
🔹People 65+
🔹People 6m to 64y if they have at least one risk factor for severe COVID (including pregnancy)
Off-label use:
🔹Healthy people 6m to 64y in consultation with your doctor
The director was fired less than a month into her tenure, four senior leaders resigned in protest, & the agency is still reeling from a shooting at its Atlanta HQ.
on @CBSNews @FaceTheNation with @EdOKeefe
2/ These aren’t just headlines about “palace intrigue.”
What’s unraveling is the basic machinery that keeps Americans safe: vaccines, outbreak detection, lab guidance, and expert support for state health departments.
3/ Within hours of the firing of CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez’s, 3 leaders—responsible for vaccine safety, respiratory diseases, & the chief medical officer role—resigned.
Earlier that week, CDC’s head of data systems also stepped down.
1/ After the shooting at CDC earlier this month, employees sent a blunt letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
They said that instead of standing with them, RFK Jr. is spreading conspiracy theories about the CDC & their work.
on @CBSEveningNews with @jdickerson
2/ They called this dangerous & made 3 requests:
🔹Stop spreading inaccurate health info
🔹Affirm CDC’s scientific integrity
🔹Guarantee safety of the HHS workforce
Because a major new U.K. clinical trial—the largest & longest yet—found that even “improved” UPFs can’t match the benefits of minimally processed meals. 🍎🥗