each day, it looks worse... and worse... and...

[NewHendoLib]

https://covidactnow.org/us

Scroll past the Vax progress map to the one that is now nearly entirely glowing red, with more and more states doing dark red.

There are so many things wrong with this picture it is hard to know where to begin. And NONE of it is on Joe, or Fauci, or Democrats. This is TFG's big pile of shit - only one of the many piles he left for others to clean up.

[StarryNite]

1. It doesn't look good.

With schools starting up and the holidays around the corner and Delta at the door...it's the perfect storm.

[Ms. Toad]

2. Instead look at the rate of increase.

It has been slowing for about 2 weeks. That's good news. There is a lot of momentum (# of cases), so even though the rate of increase is slowing - just like an ocean liner it takes a really long time to turn.

Unfortunately, with schools starting up the rate of increase is going to pick up again . . .

[NewHendoLib]

3. that's my main concern.

[Ms. Toad]

4. I think of you every time I eat tomatoes -

Just finished a Brandywine, and something yellow. Yum!

[tanyev]

5. Yeah, I've been looking closely at Missouri and Arkansas for a few weeks now.

They’re still red, but not too long ago nearly every county was dark red. The line graph for some of the worst counties is starting to drop a bit. Seems a little too soon for increasing vaccinations to be the reason. Maybe fear is causing some people to be more careful. Maybe so many have gotten infected Covid has fewer targets? We’ll see what happens with kids back in school.

[Ms. Toad]

6. The decrease in the rate of increase started about the 1st week in August.

Each each week had consistently been 145-150% above the prior week's average for several weeks - and if they had continued, the average would have been over 200,000 cases a day by about a week and a half ago. It was only around 144,000. Still growing, but not as rapidly.

The first week in August was when a number of companies reinstituted mask orders, schools started to implement them (ours started August 9, but I was permitted to enforce it two days early in the short course I taught).

Masks work - and to be really effective, we all need to be wearing them.

[CrackityJones75]

7. These red state governors

These red state governors will do anything to negatively impact the economy including kill their own constituents

[roamer65]

8. With kids back in school, October/November should be a COVID and Flu season.

…and probably some norovirus to boot.