Endemic Report
CDC weekly statistics: The weekly mega statistics have not been updated since last week. The virus is spreading in VA and AR, but declining in 70% of states.
The latest COVID-19 weekly news items:
- "The hidden epidemic: Insomnia in health care workers during and after COVID-19"
- "COVID-19 Infection associated with Risk of Chronic Rhinosinusitis"
- "Tulane Study Finds COVID-19 Uniquely Impacts Brain, Causing Long-Term Inflammation"
- "Pediatric Nurse Practitioners: Unvaccinated Children At-Risk for Severe Flu, COVID Symptoms"
- "Diabetes and liver medications failed to treat long COVID"
- "Up to 56,000 people died from COVID-19 or RSV last year"
- "COVID-19 infection predicts higher risk of kidney disease, study finds"
- "New research ties COVID-19 to a recent increase in heart failure deaths"
- "Babies with COVID-19 develop more serious disease than those with RSV, US data reveal"
- "Study uncovers a biological cause for persistent taste loss after COVID-19"
- "Study finds natural fungal supplement improves COVID-19 vaccine response"
- "Prepandemic respiratory illness tied to increased risk of long COVID"
- "Report Reinforces COVID-19 Vaccine Benefits for Children and Adolescents"
- "COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Linked to Lower 4-Year All-Cause Mortality"
- "Even Mild COVID-19 Can Leave Lasting Brain Damage, Study Finds"
- "New findings provide objective look at broad sensory impairments among long COVID sufferers"
- Prosecutors continue to pursue COVID relief/other crimes:
- "Man gets 78 months for $5 million COVID-19 relief fund theft"
- "2 Oakland Co. residents accused of COVID-19 loan fraud charged"
- "3 sentenced for role in COVID-19 unemployment scheme in Southwest Virginia"
- Legal/political issues:
- "Stony Brook employee with long COVID wins $1M over work-from-home denial"
- "Raleigh defendants seek dismissal of arrested COVID protester’s suit"
- "Indiana Supreme Court upholds COVID-19 immunity for hospitals in patient death case"
- "Moderna Notches Much-Needed Win in COVID-19 Patent Spat With Roivant"
- "Inmate outbreak: 800 infected with COVID-19 in state prison facilities"
- "Moderna to Pay Up to $2.25B to Settle Patent Suit Over Covid-19 Vaccine Technology"
- "UNC Health Rex to implement new policy, pay $150K to settle COVID-19 vaccine discrimination lawsuit"
- "Shriners Hospital Defeats Worker’s Covid-19 Vaccine Bias Lawsuit"
- "UNC Rex settles lawsuit that claimed religious discrimination over COVID vaccine"
Other Notes
The bloated pageviews are back; it's gotten to the point where I, a stat junkie, no longer bother tracking monthly pageviews. I ended posts short of my 40 target in February, although I recall publishing my Jan. 41st post early, so it's really one short. I haven't published my first March essay yet, but one is in development and will likely be published over the coming week. It was a tough week on X/Twitter, losing about 5% of my followers and fewer engagements (likes, retweets).
I can't really compare grocery inflation overall; I mostly shop in person at Lidl and Walmart with occasional delivered orders from Amazon and Walmart. I have noticed Walmart's grocery delivery options seem to have narrowed recently. I didn't see many fresh beef options and other items I've had delivered in the past, which is not true for in-person shopping, even the classic box of 5 dozen eggs. I don't know if it's a supplier issue or they've changed item mix for business interests, but it's limiting my ability to compare prices. But I can compare 3 varying trends: eggs. coffee and beef. Eggs. which have remained fairly pricey due to avian flu, recently dropped to about $1.66/doz. It had been stuck around $1.90+ for several months. I can still remember paying under $1 before the pandemic at both stores. Coffee K-cups in 100-count boxes. I can remember paying under $30 from Walmart and Sam's Club, and buying the budget boxes at Lidl at $20-23, I think lately even Walmart's budget boxes start at about $31+, and I haven't seen Lidl budget boxes for a few weeks (they do have pricier smaller boxes, of course). Beef has been pricier for a while. I've usually preferred pricier grass-fed beef, I used to get chuck roasts at about $7/lb at Walmart, but I haven't seen any recently. I used to get ground beef on special from $3.50-5/lb on special for 85% lean, maybe a buck more for 93%. Regular price now starts at over $7 and the occasional sale is about $5.50/lb. I did notice they dropped their steak costs about $1 pound, still well over $10/lb.
This weekend marks the first anniversary of the worst weekend of my life, one followed by nearly 2 months in a hospital and rehab (after a week). I recently heard about a famous wrestling announcer discuss a "fall and can't get up" incident, like you've no doubt seen a ubiquitous commercial aimed at seniors for a wireless transmitter, which lasted for 5 hours. Not to minimize that because I've lived through it--plus some. Roughly 3 days. I know that because I had a bedroom alarm that went off every 12 hours. My cellphone got lost, and my Internet modem went offline. My knees and elbows were bleeding, and I couldn't pull myself up. What rescued me? A rare door-to-door sales guy from a rival cable ISP. I screamed for him to call 9-1-1. (Since then, I've switched ISPs largely as a form of appreciation.) Three days without food, water or meds. My kidneys were in bad shape. Thanks to the doctors, nurses, and therapists who facilitated my recovery. I ran into legal issues just trying to get access to my apartment for relatives to get into my apartment to retrieve my phone, a laptop, and clothes and get a contractor to remedy the cleanup for my return. For several weeks after my return, I had follow-up home visits by nurses and therapists. Yes, I do wear an alert dongle, although I don't consider a replication likely. But if others can learn from my experience, it's been worth discussing it
