This is what mass county testing sites get you.

$100 a test + $100 to sequence. Somebody raking in the dough.

Now I usually leave off the most recent day due to the reporting lag, I left it in this time... that last data point is going to move skyward tomorrow (especially in Wake/Meck).





Deaths not reacting yet.

Daviewolf83 said:

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Wayland said:

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Daviewolf83 said:

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Along with what Wayland has posted, the graph below shows the percentage of hospitalized Covid patients in ICU. This helps to provide a good measure of the overall severity of Covid cases admitted to the hospital. As you can see from the graph, the trend for he past seven days is downward (25% average vs 26% average for 14-day average) - reflecting a decreasing level of severity for admitted Covid cases. Like Wayland, I believe downward trend is coming from a higher number of patients being admitted "With" Covid, instead of "For" Covid.

With the increasing Omicron cases, it will be interesting to see if this downward trend continues. Given what we are learning about Omicron and its lower severity, I believe it is possible for this trend to continue down.

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Even with incidental admissions and ED test seeking behavior, I also expect the % of identified cases that require hospitalizations to plummet (if this surge is indeed Omicron)

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As you can see from the graph below, the Case Hospitalization Rate has been declining since late October. Over the last seven days of data, it has averaged 4.9%. This means for those cases tested on a particular day, only 4.9% of those cases were admitted to the hospital. I am using the daily hospital admissions data from NCDHHS, so I only have data up to 12/24. What does this mean? It means overall Covid cases are requiring less hospitalization, implying lower overall severity of cases.

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I had been playing with that data today. While my curve looks slightly different, the trend was basically the same.

Was fascinated at how how the number was back in June, when basically cases were super low and likely the only reason most people were really testing is for actual serious illness.

CDC finally calls it what it is; the PCR Test VIRUS

Those are some very impressive graphs I see posted daily, ha, graphs of what?

Criminals come partially clean ......but merely a smidgen

RunsWithWolves26 said:

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What's your thoughts on this? Are you taking steps to pretext against it or just going about your daily routine? Has it changed the way you do things at all? Let's try to keep this from being political. Thanks

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I just discovered this thread tonight (I never come to the Water Cooler)… This was RWW's first post to kick off this some-14,000 comment thread…. But mannnnnn were times so much simpler back then. This aged well haha.

(And this has nothing to do with RWW, just the subject/post in general)

Things like this are part of why I really think we need to slow down.

I don't know all the variables behind this. I'd assume those who are likely to be boosted also tend to the vulnerable.

I would also like to see Israel's current variant status.

But if there is -VE against further variants by boosting with wild-type focused vaccines? That is an issue.

There was another study out of Germany today that shows rapid waning of booster efficacy.

I don't know if this is a vaccine induced OAS issue (or just priming an immune response to a non-ciculating variant), if there may be additional -VE with further doses (past the short term 'boost').

Or just that the wild-type vaccine really little to no effect on infectiousness and Omicron.

But, I think we need to hit a pause button before and roll back the booster recommendations for those that aren't at specific risk. And if Omicron completely overtakes Delta in the coming weeks.... completely re-evaluate if wild-type boosters should be given at all.

The science should be done and sufficient time elapsed BEFORE these mass booster recommendations are made.

I know I am skeptical, but the blind push forward has felt dirty to me for a while.

Why have the boosted (45% of pop.) driven nearly all of the recent uptick in cases in Israel when the fully vaccinated but not boosted (20% of pop.) cases remain flat?

Could it be they chose not to get boosted because they already had covid and that infection confers immunity? pic.twitter.com/EFnbj6E3Vo

— PLC (@Humble_Analysis) December 30, 2021

Netherlands to mandate 6 Covid vaccines per year (thegatewaypundit.com)

Can someone comment on the number of people who are getting the rapid tests? Maybe it has been discussed already, but I have seen an incredible number of people at the local drive through test facility in the last few days. Are they giving away prizes or are that many people concerned about a possible infection? I haven't seen it like this.

Flus and colds are back. Some folks are programmed to get tested whenever they have a sniffle. They refuse to move on.

Everpack said:

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Fauci regurgitates CONSPIRACY THEORY that "hospitalizations" data is bullshit because most people are in WITH COVID, not FROM COVID. pic.twitter.com/hZBPa40klC

— Andy Swan (@AndySwan) December 30, 2021

Looks like you're in luck Davie. Little Lord Fauciroy is pivoting again to explain away pediatric hospitalizations.

Where are we on the conspiracy theory bingo card?

Cloth masks are worthless? Check
Vaccine may not be the end all? Check
Kids better off in schools? Check
Respiratory virus is airborne and seasonal? Check
A lot of hospitalizations are with, not for? Check

Science, baby!

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Pediatrics is a distinct field of medicine for a reason and Fauci is not a specialist in that field, though it's a waste of time to point that out given that he's torched a lot of credibility in those areas in which he supposedly has expertise.

HighSpeedSteelWolf said:

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Can someone comment on the number of people who are getting the rapid tests? Maybe it has been discussed already, but I have seen an incredible number of people at the local drive through test facility in the last few days. Are they giving away prizes or are that many people concerned about a possible infection? I haven't seen it like this.

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I don't get it either. Not sure why so many are waiting in line for hours. Crazy.

ncsupack1 said:

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HighSpeedSteelWolf said:

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Can someone comment on the number of people who are getting the rapid tests? Maybe it has been discussed already, but I have seen an incredible number of people at the local drive through test facility in the last few days. Are they giving away prizes or are that many people concerned about a possible infection? I haven't seen it like this.

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I don't get it either. Not sure why so many are waiting in line for hours. Crazy.

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Because of the illegal Biden vaccine mandate for companies of over 100 people?? Isn't there a testing option? If so, that means you're going to see a massive increase in demand for testing.

Areas with the highest vaccination rate are correlating to higher cases right now.

I tend to think this is 'test seeking' behavior, (in Wake it is the opposite, despite being highly vaccinated and the one of the highest cases per capita in the state... the highly vaccinated areas have lower cases... but the MASS testing sites are closer to areas that have higher cases per capita).

But if vaccines were stopping spread... you shouldn't see this.




Look at SF? One of the most vaccinated in the country.








And just a cases per capita for NC. With the last few days still expecting more cases to fill in... Wake is off the charts as the top vaccinated high pop county.

HighSpeedSteelWolf said:

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Can someone comment on the number of people who are getting the rapid tests? Maybe it has been discussed already, but I have seen an incredible number of people at the local drive through test facility in the last few days. Are they giving away prizes or are that many people concerned about a possible infection? I haven't seen it like this.

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I would guess it was particularly high around the holidays b/c people were either preparing to host/be with large crowds of family, or had just returned from same. And they didn't want to go if sick (asymptomatically) or wanted to know if it was ok to do normal activities again after being exposed? Wonder if it will continue when post-holiday season kicks in Monday?

My D-I-L woke up sick Monday, and went and got tested and was +. She did so because she was supposed to help baby sit her niece for her sister the next day...seems reasonable to want to know if you're sick before spreading it to the baby's mom?
We were all with her on C'mas even and C'mas day. Didn't feel bad, so no one else got tested, but then my father-in-law felt sick by Tuesday night, so he went and got tested and was +. Why get tested? Because he has an adult son who suffered a traumatic brain injury that he still has to care for and take places, and wanted to know if he still could or should quarantine he and his son.

In both cases, they scheduled, didn't wait in hour long lines. And in both cases, they were feeling better within a day.
I think there are sensible reasons to get tested and then frankly, there is likely also a fear factor --- most folks hear how easily spread it is, but don't necessarily hear how relatively "weak" it is in terms of impact, and so probably over-react in terms of testing.

Wayland said:

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Areas with the highest vaccination rate are correlating to higher cases right now.

I tend to think this is 'test seeking' behavior, (in Wake it is the opposite, despite being highly vaccinated and the one of the highest cases per capita in the state... the highly vaccinated areas have lower cases... but the MASS testing sites are closer to areas that have higher cases per capita).

But if vaccines were stopping spread... you shouldn't see this.




Look at SF? One of the most vaccinated in the country.








And just a cases per capita for NC. With the last few days still expecting more cases to fill in... Wake is off the charts as the top vaccinated high pop county.

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I believe this is a product of the fear mongering and more evidence of the divide in mentality over this virus. Urban areas tend to be the furthest left in political ideology, have devoured any and every morsel of fear their overlords fed them, significantly higher vaccination rates, yet still the most fearful of the big bad virus, and now need prof that the virus is in them to perpetuate the message.

The crazy part is it doesn't even have to be that far apart. Asheville is like two different worlds depending on how close you are to downtown. Case in point; the Target closest to downtown is probably 90% masked. The south Asheville Target isn't even 50%. This is anecdotal, but it proves that these dark blue urban areas are just living a different life than those who aren't. They were lined up around the block at the old Asheville Civic Center to get tested yesterday. 30 minutes away in my small town, no one gives a *****

Wayland said:

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Areas with the highest vaccination rate are correlating to higher cases right now.

I tend to think this is 'test seeking' behavior, (in Wake it is the opposite, despite being highly vaccinated and the one of the highest cases per capita in the state... the highly vaccinated areas have lower cases... but the MASS testing sites are closer to areas that have higher cases per capita).

But if vaccines were stopping spread... you shouldn't see this.




Look at SF? One of the most vaccinated in the country.








And just a cases per capita for NC. With the last few days still expecting more cases to fill in... Wake is off the charts as the top vaccinated high pop county.

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I would think this is more about population density than anything. Large cities have higher vaccination rates but the people living there come into close contact with more people on a daily basis.

Hasn't it also been established that the vaccines have less protection against becoming infected with Delta and basically no protection from Omicron?

I think a more accurate data set would be number of infections in vaxxed per 100k vs unvaxxed per 100k in each city separately.

WolfPacker54 said:

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Wayland said:

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Areas with the highest vaccination rate are correlating to higher cases right now.

I tend to think this is 'test seeking' behavior, (in Wake it is the opposite, despite being highly vaccinated and the one of the highest cases per capita in the state... the highly vaccinated areas have lower cases... but the MASS testing sites are closer to areas that have higher cases per capita).

But if vaccines were stopping spread... you shouldn't see this.




Look at SF? One of the most vaccinated in the country.








And just a cases per capita for NC. With the last few days still expecting more cases to fill in... Wake is off the charts as the top vaccinated high pop county.

---

I would think this is more about population density than anything. Large cities have higher vaccination rates but the people living there come into close contact with more people on a daily basis.

Hasn't it also been established that the vaccines have less protection against becoming infected with Delta and basically no protection from Omicron?

I think a more accurate data set would be number of infections in vaxxed per 100k vs unvaxxed per 100k in each city separately.

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Data for that in the US is trash due to positive matching requirements across separate systems.

I think there is some better UK/ Euro data for those stats.

WolfPacker54 said:

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Wayland said:

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Areas with the highest vaccination rate are correlating to higher cases right now.

I tend to think this is 'test seeking' behavior, (in Wake it is the opposite, despite being highly vaccinated and the one of the highest cases per capita in the state... the highly vaccinated areas have lower cases... but the MASS testing sites are closer to areas that have higher cases per capita).

But if vaccines were stopping spread... you shouldn't see this.




Look at SF? One of the most vaccinated in the country.








And just a cases per capita for NC. With the last few days still expecting more cases to fill in... Wake is off the charts as the top vaccinated high pop county.

---

I would think this is more about population density than anything. Large cities have higher vaccination rates but the people living there come into close contact with more people on a daily basis.

Hasn't it also been established that the vaccines have less protection against becoming infected with Delta and basically no protection from Omicron?

I think a more accurate data set would be number of infections in vaxxed per 100k vs unvaxxed per 100k in each city separately.

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🇩🇰More data from Denmark on rate of covid positivity per 100,000 by age and vax/immune status
🟠 0 vax
🔵 2 doses
🟢 booster
🔴 previous infection
It appears we can't expect double vax or booster to prevent infection, see next slide for ICU admissions (1/3)
TY: @KT_Baek @SSI_dk pic.twitter.com/HUiTzor9fx

— Tracy Høeg, MD, PhD (@TracyBethHoeg) December 28, 2021

Denmark

WolfPacker54 said:

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Wayland said:

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Areas with the highest vaccination rate are correlating to higher cases right now.

I tend to think this is 'test seeking' behavior, (in Wake it is the opposite, despite being highly vaccinated and the one of the highest cases per capita in the state... the highly vaccinated areas have lower cases... but the MASS testing sites are closer to areas that have higher cases per capita).

But if vaccines were stopping spread... you shouldn't see this.




Look at SF? One of the most vaccinated in the country.








And just a cases per capita for NC. With the last few days still expecting more cases to fill in... Wake is off the charts as the top vaccinated high pop county.

---

I would think this is more about population density than anything. Large cities have higher vaccination rates but the people living there come into close contact with more people on a daily basis.

Hasn't it also been established that the vaccines have less protection against becoming infected with Delta and basically no protection from Omicron?

I think a more accurate data set would be number of infections in vaxxed per 100k vs unvaxxed per 100k in each city separately.

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Ontario

Total "cases" among the fully vaxxed are 5.4X greater than those among the unvaxxed. While the fully vaxxed still occupy a minority (33%) of "CoV2-positive" ICU beds, they now occupy 54% of COVID-19 inpatient (non-ICU) beds. pic.twitter.com/RWpaF12PbS

— Don Wolt (@tlowdon) December 29, 2021

WolfPacker54 said:

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Wayland said:

---

Areas with the highest vaccination rate are correlating to higher cases right now.

I tend to think this is 'test seeking' behavior, (in Wake it is the opposite, despite being highly vaccinated and the one of the highest cases per capita in the state... the highly vaccinated areas have lower cases... but the MASS testing sites are closer to areas that have higher cases per capita).

But if vaccines were stopping spread... you shouldn't see this.




Look at SF? One of the most vaccinated in the country.








And just a cases per capita for NC. With the last few days still expecting more cases to fill in... Wake is off the charts as the top vaccinated high pop county.

---

I would think this is more about population density than anything. Large cities have higher vaccination rates but the people living there come into close contact with more people on a daily basis.

Hasn't it also been established that the vaccines have less protection against becoming infected with Delta and basically no protection from Omicron?

I think a more accurate data set would be number of infections in vaxxed per 100k vs unvaxxed per 100k in each city separately.

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UK

12.23.21: UK infection rates among fully vaxxed remain HIGHER vs the unvaxxed in most adult age cohorts. Both vaxxed & unvaxxed of all ages continue to get infected & spread - and in most age groups, the vaxxed much more so - rendering vaxx passports & mandates pointless. pic.twitter.com/Tp5r49jQMy

— Don Wolt (@tlowdon) December 23, 2021

The boosters are effecting natural immunity to other viruses. Omicron is not the same as Delta. But it is much weaker across the board… so there are still some positives, if everybody would just back away from the fear porn.

TheStorm said:

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The boosters are effecting natural immunity to other viruses. Omicron is not the same as Delta. But it is much weaker across the board… so there are still some positives, if everybody would just back away from the fear porn.

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Completely anecdotal, got a call just now from my father-in-law.

We skipped out on Christmas with my in-laws this year since we were just up there visiting a few weeks ago for my wife's grandmother's funeral.

Well, turns out my wife's vaxxed aunt showed up to Christmas with 'a little cold' and everyone up there but one at Christmas dinner got COVID (all vax but FIL and a lot of 70 something year olds).

Her uncle with the most severe risks is at least vaxxed, but basically looks like everyone got the OmiCold not Delta. Some stuffiness, one uncle and cousin with some minor headaches (both vaxxed), but everyone appears on the road to a quick recovery.

Fingers crossed because they aren't necessarily the healthiest lot.

Another one that makes you say… WT*?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10355941/Biden-signs-137M-deal-COVID-test-factory-start-producing-83-3M-tests-month-late-2024.html