Covid-19 Timeline

On March 11, 2020, after more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries and 4,291 deaths, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. There is an interesting timeline of events related to the pandemic on the CDC Museum COVID-19 Timeline website. Today we have had more than 619 million cases and 6.55 million deaths worldwide. This all happened within 30 months. The virus continues to mutate and reinfect. The medical community is bracing for a resurgence of cases this fall and winter. 

Looking at a map of new cases in the US, shows that the virus is still widespread in every State. Although, the numbers are lower than they have been, the fact that almost every State on the map is in the same color range shows how persistent this virus is. Just when they come out with a new booster shot, a virus mutation appears on the scene, rendering the vaccine less effective. Requirements to travel by plane in the US are confusing. Do you need a document to prove that you are fully vaccinated? Do you need a document showing you have tested negative for the virus? A lack of compliance and reduced safety guidelines would explain why the case map still looks like it does.

Death rates are lower with many counties reporting no deaths in the last week. But a few States still show darker colors, like Oklahoma. It is unusual that one State would report an 850% increase in the death rate. The only explanation is that the report is showing an administrative reporting delay of some kind. States now only report weekly statistics and States like North Dakota are no longer reporting deaths. With the treatments they have now, you are less likely to die from the virus. Although some people develop persistent health issues. 

One recent study found a 50%-80% risk for Alzheimer's disease in the year after COVID-19 for people who are 65 or older. Scientists focused on patients over 65 who made a medical visit during a 15-month period from Feb. 2, 2020, to May 30, 2021. During this period many patients may have delayed getting tested for AD, which could explain the higher percentages. It is still cause for concern now that so many people in the U.S. have had COVID and the long-term consequences are still emerging.

The blue map shows how each State ranks in vaccination rates. It's hard to draw any conclusions from this map unless you go to healthdata.gov and drill deeper into the data for each State. Oklahoma is ranked #37. Wisconsin is in the middle at #24 with Minnesota coming in at #20. States in the northeast make up most of the top 10. 

New Covid subvariants could drive a fresh wave across Europe and North America by the end of November, experts have warned. New Covid variants could fuel winter surge, experts say. These are just a couple of the headlines that have come out recently. Not sure if we should be more afraid of new Covid variants or Putin's nuclear weapons. It may be a while yet before the WHO and the CDC declare an end to the pandemic. When they do, States will lose the generous government funding they need to battle the virus and COVID vaccinations will no longer be free.