COVID-19 Updates

As the pandemic keeps growing and keeps its hold as an immense threat, the public is becoming more and more irritated with it. COVID-19 first became a problem in the U.S. in March as it unexpectedly began inflecting hundreds and thousands at a time. This led to the first lockdown that was towards the end of  March. However, as some of the public refused to wear masks, social distance, or fully go on lockdown, the virus simply spread faster and more intensely. 

The New York Times reported that the failure to shut down completely and only leave essential businesses open has led to the continuation of the pandemic rather than the total elimination of the virus.

As the U.S. goes into its eighth month of quarantine, social distancing, and wearing masks, cases are beginning to stack up even more than they were in mid April and May. According to the Washington Post, this is because gatherings and parties are being attended without masks and  without social distancing. Halloween, along with the upcoming holidays are leading to parties without social distancing. This can be seen in The New York Times data graph which graphs the United State’s daily cases since March. As the U.S. had its biggest and deadliest COVID spread during July and August, it was finally going down towards September, though it was still relatively high. However, NY Times shows that starting on October 15th, cases stopped being in the 30,000’s  through 50,000’s to the 70,000’s through 90,000’s. However, as high as cases jumped in October from previous months, starting on November 4th, cases skyrocketed from 90,000 to 104,000 and 130,000, currently being its highest at 198,585 cases daily.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, commonly referred to as the CDC, has a graph showing the U.S. states, and it’s weekly case numbers. It shows that the states with the highest cases in November have been in states like California, Taxas, Florida, Illinois, and Michigan. It’s been growing in California by 79,000 per week, in Texas by 71,000 per week, Florida by 55,000 per week, Illinois by 83,000 per week, and in Michigan by 53,00 per week.  States like Colorado and  California, which have cases growing by 100,000 per day  have  led local government officials and the federal government to begin pushing mandatory lockdowns with only estiantial businesses open once more.  

The Atlantic, which is a news page, said that the public has learned to live and adapt to COVID rather than trying to keep it out completely, which has led to inside dining in restaurants to open up, shopping malls, bowling arenas, and movie theaters to open up. 

Since reopening the non essentials mixed with failure to restrain from partying during a pandemic, CNBC, a news channel, states that the pandemic will go on for another year or so with continuation of social distancing and masks. However, in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent Coronavirus Update on their website, they spoke about the COVID vaccine was recently presented from Pfizer, Inc with partnership with BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH. It’s advisory committee requested for emergency authorization of the vaccine the Pfizer and BioNTech companies created. The Pfizer company explained how their vaccine has been tested on groups of 162 people without vaccines, and 8 with vaccines, and has been proven to be 95% effective towards COVID-19. Hoping to have a fully ready vaccine that is approved by the FDA to ensure effectiveness and safety of the public within medical drugs and vaccines, the two companies have announced that they will probably have a ready to go vaccine by mid-December 2020.  

With COVID cases at a high and the pandemic still going on full fledged, the vaccine is hoped to end and minimize the pandemic.