EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GETTING TESTED FOR COVID-19

      From Worldometer (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):

         DAY   USA    WORLD   Brazil     India      South Africa

June     9    1093     4732         1185           246            82

July    22     1205     7128         1293         1120          572

Aug    12     1504     6556        1242           835          130

Sept     9     1208      6222       1136          1168            82

Oct     21     1225      6849         571           703            85

Nov    25      2304    12025        620           518           118

Dec    30      3880    14748       1224          299           465

Jan     14      4142    15512       1151           189           712              

Feb      3       4005    14265       1209          107           398

Mar     2        1989      9490        1726          110           194

April   6          906     11787         4211          631            37

May    4         853     13667         3025        3786           59 

June   1         287    10637         2346         3205            95

 July   7          251      8440        1595           817            411

Aug    4          656    10120        1118            532           423 

Sept   1        1480    10470          703           505           235

        22       2228      9326          839           279           124

        29        2190      8859         643           309           108

Oct    5        1811       7495          686           285          103

          6        2102       8255         543           315            59

        12        1819       7544         201           249             37 

        19        2005      7528         401           160             80 

        27       1594       8671         433           734              62 

Nov   3        1436       7830        186           458             23

        10        1493      8366         264           362             48

        17        1416       8440        374           470              11

Dec    1        1633      8475         266           477             28 

          8        1324       7894         231           159             36

        15         1690      8233         227           343            54

        16          997       7115         173            391            36

        17          1653     7359         126            289           35 

        22         1634      7686         137            434           99 

        29         1777      7393         147            268           81

Summary:

• My, oh my.  Not only did we swamp the world in deaths, we had an all-time high 465,670 new cases.
• #2 in new deaths was Russia with 932, about half that of the USA, and #3 Poland with 793.
•  However, new deaths/million:
• U.S.  5.32
• Russia  6.38
• Poland  20.98
• South Africa 1.34
• UK  0.83
• Greece had 2799 new cases per million.  
• U.S.?  1394.  
• New York  3465
• New Hampshire  1215
• Delaware  1118
• Hawaii  1115
• DC  2017
• Puerto Rico 2412
• Denmark  3797
• South Africa 149
• Japan  2.9.
• Taiwan  0.56
• China  0.14

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Just got this alarming information from the Star Advertiser:

Hawaii sets new record with 3,484 new coronavirus cases

I never expected us to get that high, for our previous peak in earlier waves was less than half that number.  Yet, there were again (three out of past four days) ZERO deaths.  To compare:

• Hawaii is now at 2429 cases/million.
• Looking above:
• Way below Denmark at 3797 and New York at 3465.
• Just below Greece at 2799.
• Much worse than the USA at 1394.
• 838 times worse than Japan.
• 43,375 worse than Taiwan.
• Hawaii is now averaging around 1 new death/day.  Compared to others in new deaths/million:
• Hawaii  0.71
• USA  5.32
• Poland  21
• World  0.95
• Hawaii's positivity rate has been inching up, now at 14%, the same as the U.S.
• According to WHO, the pandemic is under control at 5%.
• A scary development is that most of the countries in southern Africa seem to be at 20% and higher.  Even South Africa is still at 29%.
• Germany and Norway are at 18%.
• Japan is at 0.5%, and many countries of the Orient are also below 1%.

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The USA is being seriously impacted by the Omicron variant, but it is worse so for Europe.  However, note how quickly South Africa and the UK declined in new cases and new deaths.  The Orient seems to be skipping the Omicron variant.  Why???

From the New York Times this morning, comparing New York and Florida, it appears that this Omicron variant is hitting harder, but without the hospitalizations and deaths as the Delta variant:

Among the new news is that those who recover from an Omicron infection seem to be immune to the Delta variant, but the reverse is not true.  That is, if you got sick with the Delta variant, there seems to be little protection agains Omicron.  Second, we now know that Omicron is more contagious than Delta.  In Michigan it is four times higher.  Third, hospitalizations and deaths from Omicron are 54% lower than Delta in Canada.  This number will somewhat change when average for the world.  It is clear, though, that Omicron will replace Delta as the prevalent variant, and, combined with any previous infection, vaccinations and boosters, COVID-19 will someday (and it could well be next year) join the influenza viruses to become the seasonal flu, something I have been suggesting from a month ago.

More and more, certain locations and venues are requiring the vaccine mandate to include a booster shot.  Here are arguments for either side of this issue.  No doubt that a booster can make a big difference in contracting any variant of COVID-19, but one point of view is that the standard two shots for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and one for Johnson&Johnson's, are sufficient to prevent hospitalization and death.  It is more important for the whole world to be protected before another more dangerous variant peaks.  However, the CDC has issued a statement recommending a booster for anyone eligible, I while this might sound unhumanitarian, I agree.  Israel and some other countries are mulling second booster.

Here are further COVID-19 statistics by state from the New York Times:

• Vermont, Rhode Island and Maine lead the nation in being fully vaccinated at 76/77%.
• Southern states, Idaho and Wyoming are the lowest, below 50%.

The CDC announced another confusing decision:  if asymptomatic, you can return to society in five instead of ten days.  They should have further said you can resume your life in five days if asymptomatic and with a negative test.  But which test?

Two primary tests are use:

• Rapid test detect antigens and are not too accurate, but can provide results in 15 minutes or so.  False negatives regularly occur for asymptomatic patients.
• The other more accurate test is PCR, for polymerase chain reaction.  This can take days to get a result.

There is a third test called Antibody Serology Test which detects antibodies in your body, but is not considered to be diagnostic.

Regarding at-home rapid tests:

• Best:  QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test at CVS
• Nasal swab.
• Place in solution tube and swirl.
• Remove swab.
• Dip detection strip.
• Read results, pink or blue, but somewhat confusing as to what is what.
• Two tests to be taken two or three days apart, for a total cost of $24.
• Not FDA approved, but okayed for emergency use, whatever that means.

Take three days before seeing your family or exposing others.  If both tests are negative, there is a good chance you are safe.  If even one positive, watch out.  If both positive, quarantine yourself or 5 days if asymptomatic, or 10 days if with symptoms.  Read CDC's latest announcement.

Here is one review of the best at-home PCR tests, which you need to mail out for results:

• Best of the Best:  DxTerity
• Saliva, or non invasive.
• But can take a long time to get results.
• $85/test.
• Best Bang for the Buck:  Amazon
• Nasal test.
• Meets travel requirement in U.S., except Hawaii.
• $40/test.
• Top Pick:  BinaxNOW
• Nasal swab.
• Not accepted by CDC for travel requirements.
• $7/test.

First, don't travel.  Second, if you do, it is still confusing about what you need to do.  So read this article:

• The requirement in the U.S. is anyone over the age of 2 to submit a negative COVID-19 test taken within one day of departure.  Good luck on this being easy to get.
• The CDC today accepts Abbott's BinaxNow (great for international travel... but watch out for the expiration date--and be careful about the keeping in hot weather), Ellume's Home Test and Qured's rapid antigen test.
• To quote:

You can buy a six-pack testing kit through eMed for $150, which also allows for next business day delivery for orders processed and approved by 6 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday.

You can also purchase the same test through Optum, which charges $70 for a two-pack or $100 for three. Optum also sells a single test for $50 that is currently out of stock online.

All the above appears to apply for air and cruise travel.

Finally, what about those tests promised by the White House?

• Those with health insurance should be able to get reimbursed.
• For those without insurance, tens of millions of free tests will be made available to community centers.
• Not quite sure when this program will take effect, as medical plans in the past did not end up paying for your at-home tests, which ran from $15 to $40, and these previous ones will not be covered by this new plan.
• Also not certain which tests will be available.

A few more items of interest:

• Alaska just experienced its warmest December day in recorded history:  67F.
• Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York has been postponed to later in the year.
• Biden and Putin had a phone chat this afternoon.
• Yesterday the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit another all time high, rising 90 to 36,489.  However, the Dow fell 91 today.

About my life, I've decided to just stay home until next year.  However, I did make an end of year visit to the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Punchbowl:

We had a bento lunch from Ray's at Punchbowl with this view:

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