Anyone following what’s happening in the United States?

[Redolent]

A lesson in how not to reopen.

20 states are seeing significant increases. Some like Arizona, Florida, California and Texas are breaking records of positive cases and covid hospitalizations. ICUs almost full in Texas. Indoor-dining restaurants and bars have been open for a month or so in some of these states. This is still the first wave for them ...

Will be interesting to see if they lock down some states again. It seems inevitable for Arizona (26% of those who had a Coronavirus test today were positive, which is insane).

Info from NYT:

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html

[Bol87]

The US has been incredibly idiotic. But shocker, it’s a nation that voted for Trump to be president..

We have our issues but I think we are doing OK at the moment!

[fadingfast]

I really wish all the conspiracy theorists, who somehow think the virus is some sort of government hoax, would take a look at what's happening in the US

[dullmiserablepeople]

I'm surprised it's not worse, TBH.

[ragged]

I follow Rachel Maddow so I knew. There is low key panic in California, face covers now mandatory in many situations, state wide not just compulsory in specific cities or counties.

Arizona & Oklahoma are both scary.

[Mixitupalot]

Yes I have family in Florida, they are quite worried. Possibility of being locked down again.

[Babyroobs]

My sil is a Dr in Texas and confirmed they are seeing big rises in cases again.

[Redolent]

@Mixitupalot

Yes I have family in Florida, they are quite worried. Possibility of being locked down again.

If someone had mentioned another lockdown a couple of weeks ago it would have been unthinkable. Crazy how fast things escalate.

[ssd]

@Bol87

The US has been incredibly idiotic. But shocker, it’s a nation that voted for Trump to be president..

We have our issues but I think we are doing OK at the moment!

Quite well!?!

We are third in the world for deaths per million, behind the USA and Brazil.

If that's quite well I'd hate to see your doing badly.

[ssd]

Apologies, you said OK, not quite well.
Everything else stands.

[Inniu]

US cases are up but deaths still seem to be decreasing.

[Redolent]

I guess our lockdown easing has been managed generally OK so far, in line with other European countries who were hit badly.

[Ginfordinner]

Cases in India are escalating again.

[Redolent]

@Inniu

US cases are up but deaths still seem to be decreasing.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but deaths are the last thing to go up, since it takes on average a month from being infected to dying. Hospitalizations are the key figure here that can’t be explained away (along with things like ventilator use).

[Pipandmum]

@ssd according to statista.com Belgium has the most deaths per million, followed by us and the USA is seventh.
But all countries report deaths differently- many deaths are not necesarily caused by the virus, and some deaths may have been caused by it but the patient was not tested. And you have to take into account the population density, demographics and social norms. So it is not particularly helpful to compare one countries statistics with another.

[KateMooney]

I live in California (been here most of my life, but born in England and extended family is in England) and am also considered an essential worker (social work).
I'm waiting to see if our emergency room becomes overwhelmed here. I'm in pediatrics but the plan a few months ago was to prepare for a huge onslaught of adult covid-19 patients, and use part of the pediatric hospital as overflow treatment space. Never happened - so now we're in a state of limbo waiting to see if cases in our county continue to rise :(

[saltycat]

To me, the US is governed by State Governors not Trump. He can spout all he likes, but individual Governors can do what they want.

It will obviously break down to R or D Governors.

Anyway am so glad I didn't hit the button to go to San Antonio and Austin way back in early February. And TBH will not go there again if Trump remains in power either. Moron.

[blibblibs]

I'm amazed anyone thinks we're doing OK or not too bad!
We're almost the highest deaths per million. Belgium being ahead of us and our daily infection rate is sitting at about 1,000 more per day than most other European countries. Granted America is not dealing with it well but let's not pretend that we are either.

[ballsdeep]

It's as if cornona doesn't exist there! I follow american celebs on onsta and you wouldn't believe the amount of people out and about on their stories. They are.going on boats, shops, beaches. Argh! I'm surprised if it isn't worse

[MarcelineMissouri]

Although deaths are the last thing to see an increase it is true that if you compare the cases v deaths graphs for the US, deaths are declining steadily despite case levels being quite static overall which is interesting to see.

[Samtsirch]

Anyone following what is happening in the US?
I am desperately trying not to.

[AnyOneThere123]

@blibblibs lots of old people, cramped living conditions, ill population. Good that infection rates are increasing as it shows more people are being tested and less people who are infected are dying. Immune system is wonderful.

[Derbygerbil]

@ssd

Bol87 used the present tense.... We are currently doing pretty well compared to the States - per head of population they have 5-6 times as many confirmed daily cases as we do - but that’s not saying much, as apart from Sweden and Russia, we’re not doing nearly as well as most of the Europe.

[Derbygerbil]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but deaths are the last thing to go up

Yes, a 2 to 3 week lag, potentially longer if outbreaks seed in places where young people congregate as there’s a lag as it percolates to older people, but given broad enough community transmission, it will spread out just like it has done in hotspots around the world.

[Redolent]

@MarcelineMissouri

Although deaths are the last thing to see an increase it is true that if you compare the cases v deaths graphs for the US, deaths are declining steadily despite case levels being quite static overall which is interesting to see.

Interesting. Saw some discussion of this on Twitter suggesting that older people protect themselves better and that, as a result, we'll be seeing increased case loads in younger people with milder disease.

[Derbygerbil]

And wtaf with the Oklahoma Trump rally.... You literally couldn’t make up a better breeding ground for super-spreader event...

Tens of thousands of people - many middle-aged or older - crammed into an indoor venue for hours, most probably eschewing advice to wear masks, shouting and hollering, in an area with sharply increasing Covid cases! Are there any boxes not ticked?

And to top it, Trump’s got another rally in Arizona -fast becoming the next major world’s new number one hotspot - next week! If he tried he couldn’t do a better job of spreading it.... Utter lunacy!