View Dr. Joe Gerald’s Weekly COVID Epidemiology & Hospital Occupancy Analysis
From Dr. Gerald this week:
“In brief, who knows what the hell is going on in the fog of Thanksgiving. Case counts took a precipitous fall, but hospital COVID-19 occupancy continues to creep up. Given what we saw this time last year, testing/case data are unreliable due to major disruptions in access to testing and willingness to get it. Even though hospital occupancy is a lagging indicator, it’s the best we have in the moment. Yesterday and today saw the ADHS Dashboard post some big case numbers so don’t be surprised if we experience a bit of catch up then settle into a more regular pattern of increasing rates until Christmas week.”
“Unfortunately, the Omicron variant seems just as concerning this week as it did last week. I’ve posted a couple of links to reports out of Europe and South Africa, but no one really knows what the real-world impact is going to be yet. Even so, it is better to act now than wait. So, predictably, that is the last thing we’ll do.”
“For those on Twitter, I’ve been following @trishgreenhalgh for updates on COVID-19 and Omicron in particular. As long as you ignore the comments, I’ve been pleased with her information.”
“Anyway, we’ve got our hands full in Arizona with the Delta variant. What’s needed hasn’t changed: get vaccinated, get tested, wear a mask, and avoid high risk exposures (e.g., prolonged indoor exposure where others aren’t masked). I’ve upgraded from cloth to KN-95’s myself and got my third shot booster! Hopefully, others will do the same.”
