The coronavirus pandemic in Ohioisn't just getting worse; it's getting worse at an alarming rate. Unlike the state's previous spikes, this one is steep, and there are no signs of letting up.
COLUMBUS Heading into election week, the coronavirus pandemic in Ohioisn't just getting worse; it's getting worseat an alarming rate.
Unlike the state's previous spikes, this one is steep, and there are no signs of letting up.
Between Oct. 25 and Oct. 31, Ohio reported 18,828 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. It's the third week in a row the state has set a new weekly record.
On Oct. 30, the state set a sobering new record: 3,745 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in a single day.
If you dismiss the surge as a result of increased testing, you should take a closer look.
The state also set a new record for most hospitalizations in a single week; 1,126 Ohioans were hospitalized last week for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the state's average test positivity rate has more thandoubled since mid-September. On Sept. 24, the seven-day positivity average hit a low of 2.7 percent. On Friday, the average was 6.7percent.
During his Thursday briefing, DeWine released an updated map for the state's Public Health Advisory System. There are now 43 counties in Level 3 "red" the most since the map was released. Just two counties are "yellow."
As of Thursday, 83 of Ohio's 88 counties are considered to have a high incidence of virus transmission; these arecounties thathave seen more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.
"The virus is raging throughout the state of Ohio. There's no place to hide," DeWine said during his Thursday address. He also againurged Ohioans to rethink holiday plans.
While DeWine continues to beg Ohioans to don face coverings, he has begun to emphasize the role of personal responsibility in combatting the virus.
DeWine on Thursday said the state is relyingon Ohioans' sense of personal responsibility to slow the spread of coronavirus, rather than "mask police."
"Ohioans have been able to dramatically increase mask-wearing. We saw this back in July when we had a statewide mask order," resulting in 85 percent to 90 percent compliance in some areas, he said.
"When we saw that, we saw cases go down. We can do this again," DeWine said. "We don't have the ability to have 'mask police' everywhere. We rely on the goodwill of the people of the state of Ohio.
DeWine is also calling on local governments to "redouble" their efforts in combatting the virus.
In terms of stemming the spread locally,Mercy Health Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Jim Kravec said, for the most part, schools and businesses are already doing a great job. The issue lies in the public's perception of the pandemic, he said.
"Where I see opportunity is, really, a small percentage of the population that is not following the distancing and the masking," Kravec said. "Some people don't 'buy' what we're telling them. It's hard to get through to people that don't believe the message."
Mahoning County remains at"red" on thealert map and is also considered to have high incidence of coronavirus spread.The county reported 318 new cases in thelast twoweeks,139.06 new cases per capita.
The county now meets four of the state's seven risk indicators for coronavirus spread: new cases per capita; increasing numbers of new cases; the number of new cases occurring outside group settings such as long-term care or correctional facilities; and increasing outpatient visits for COVID-like illnesses.
Between late August and mid-September, Mahoning County saw the lowest-ever numbers of new cases and hospitalizations per day,according to Mahoning County Public Health's COVID-19 dashboard. Though new cases have skyrocketed the county marked its highest single-day total, 67 new cases, on Oct. 15 daily hospitalizations have remained in the single digits.
"I think we have capacity now. We actively monitor this every day and, really, the numbers on the Mahoning County dashboard are really the best indicators,"Kravec said. "As a level-1 trauma center, we are prepared for increased numbers.
"But we need to make sure we reduce the hospitalizations so we continue to keep room for the people who are sick."
ICU bed occupancy in Mahoning County has hovered between about 65percent and 75percent for weeks, according to ODH. That includes non-COVID patients.But the portion of COVID-19 patients in the ICU rose steadily from 5.5 percent on Oct. 14 to 12.6 percent on Oct. 26.
Mahoning County on Tuesday reported 78.5 percent ICU occupancy, nearly meeting the state's 80 percent riskthreshold under theOhio Public Health Advisory Systemmap.
Trumbull County was upgraded to "red" on Thursday and is considered a high incidence county. In the past two weeks, Trumbull County reported 232 new cases, 117.19 new cases per capita.
It meets four risk indicators: new cases per capita; increasing numbers of new cases; the number of new cases occurring outside group settings such as long-term care or correctional facilities; and increasing outpatient visits for COVID-like illnesses.
Columbiana Countyremained at "orange," but is also considered a high incidence county. In the past two weeks, Columbiana County reported 119 new cases, 116.80 cases per capita.
It meets three risk indicators:new cases per capita; the number of new cases occurring outside group settings such as long-term care or correctional facilities; and increasing outpatient visits for COVID-like illnesses.
The seven-day moving average for positive tests was 6.7percent on Friday, the highest since July 14 and more than double the average 2.7percent reported on Sept. 24, which was the lowest since the pandemic began. That average percent peaked on April 20 at 23.6 percent.
Here's a breakdown of how each complete week of the pandemic has looked likein Ohio so far. Data in bold reflect the peaks in new cases, deaths, hospitalizations andICU admissions.
March 15 to March 21
March 22 to March 28
March 29 to April 4
April 5 to April 11
April 12 to April 18
April 19 to April 25
April 26 to May 2
May 3 to May 9
May 10 to May 16
May 17 to May 23
May 24 to May 30
May 31 to June 6
June 7to June 13
June 14to June 20
June 21 to June 27
June 28 to July 4
July 5 to July 11
July 12 to July 18
July 19 to July 25
July 26 to Aug.1
Aug.2 to Aug.8
Aug. 9 to Aug. 15
Aug. 16 to Aug. 22
Aug. 23 to Aug. 29
Aug. 30 to Sept. 5
Sept. 6 to Sept. 12
Sept. 13 to Sept. 19
Sept. 20 to Sept. 26
Sept. 27 to Oct. 3
Oct. 4 to Oct. 10
Oct. 11 to Oct. 17
Oct. 18 to Oct. 24
Oct. 25 to Oct. 31
Local and state health officials confirm the first COVID-19 related death in Benton County.
"It is with great sadness that our community joins the majority of Indiana counties with pandemic related deaths," reads the information provided by the local officials. No additional information will be released about the patient due to privacy laws.
While Benton County COVID-19 case number remain low, it is still strongly urged that those with higher risk health conditions consider all recommended precautions, which includes wearing a mask, according to the news release.
Benton County Officials emphasize the importance to residents to keep doing their part to slow the spread of the virus and protect those in our communities who might be at higher risk of severe illness or death. The most vulnerable include those over 65 and those with underlying health conditions.
Signs and symptoms of COVID-19 (corona virus) are a dry, persistent cough, fever and shortness of breath.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and members of our community that have been affected by this death, as well as others that are dealing with similar circumstances," reads the information from Benton County authorities.
Local and state health officials confirm the first COVID-19 related death in Benton County.
"It is with great sadness that our community joins the majority of Indiana counties with pandemic related deaths," reads the information provided by the local officials. No additional information will be released about the patient due to privacy laws.
While Benton County COVID-19 case number remain low, it is still strongly urged that those with higher risk health conditions consider all recommended precautions, which includes wearing a mask, according to the news release.
Benton County Officials emphasize the importance to residents to keep doing their part to slow the spread of the virus and protect those in our communities who might be at higher risk of severe illness or death. The most vulnerable include those over 65 and those with underlying health conditions.
Signs and symptoms of COVID-19 (corona virus) are a dry, persistent cough, fever and shortness of breath.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and members of our community that have been affected by this death, as well as others that are dealing with similar circumstances," reads the information from Benton County authorities.
The St. Louis area has more than 400 patients hospitalized with the coronavirus, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force.
Last week hospital leaders spoke with Gov. Mike Parson and state health officials, asking what the plan is to curb COVID-19 cases and advocating for a statewide mask mandate, according to the Missouri Hospital Association.
On the recorded conference call, BJC HealthCare President and CEO Richard Liekweg said there were basically no beds available for patients to transfer to across the BJC hospital system, which currently has 205 COVID-19 patients. While BJC hospitals treated more COVID-19 patients back in April, at the time they had postponed elective and nonemergency procedures, he said.
Were in the process right now of reassessing whether were going to need to start to cancel elective procedures (again) in order to accommodate what we think is going to continue to be a gradual increase in COVID patients at a time when our staff, like everyone else, is completely exhausted, Liekweg said, addressing state health director Randall Williams.
If you consider a (mask) mandate rather than just encouragement statewide we still have too many municipalities that are creating too many options for individuals. I think a statement coming from the governor would actually put us in a much better position.
John Oliver took a different approach during Sunday nightsLast Week Tonightwith two main stories instead of one. The first one serving as the shows intro and it spotlighted Donald Trump failed the country with is disastrous handling of the coronavirus.
For many, Trumps handling of the coronavirus is going to be a significant factor in how the vote, said Oliver. He pointed out that Trump claims that the U.S. is doing a tremendous job handling the virus but the stats show a different story. The U.S. has 4% of the global population, yet 20% of the worlds coronavirus cases.
Even so, his base is giving him the benefit of the doubt. In clips from interviews, many say that Trump is doing the best he can.
Is he? questions Oliver. I guess that depends doesnt it? Is he doing the best that any president can or the best that he can? Because if its the second one, you may actually be right. We should all be grateful that he hasnt bottled his urine and started selling it as Trump Immunity Juice.
Every president faces a defining crisis and, without a doubt, the pandemic is Trumps and his response has been a disaster. Oliver brings up receipts that illustrate some massive f*ck ups that many of us have forgotten. This includes that one time when he suggested we leave Americans infected with COVID-19 on a cruise ship because they would increase the number of cases in the country. He said that he liked the numbers where they are.
To even further unpack Trumps massive failures when it comes to handling the coronavirus, Oliver broke it down intothree crucial areas where more work could have been done: preparation, coordination and communication.
When it comes to preparation, previous presidents were very aware of a threat like COVID-19. George W. Bush created a pandemic response plan in 2005 while Barack Obama created a pandemic preparedness team.
In a speech Obama made in December of 2014, he eerily summarized what we are going through right now, saying that our country needed to build an infrastructure to be ready for a virus similar to the Spanish Flu.
Trumps administration disbanded Obamas pandemic preparedness team, they cut the CDC staff in operating in China by more two-thirds and ended a pandemic early warning program.
Even when the pandemic began, Trump took an appallingly long time to take it seriously, said Oliver. Trump would complain how China took a long time to be forthright with the U.S. about the virus. However, when the administration found out the U.S. acted unforgivably slow.
The first report of the coronavirus in Wuhan was on December 31, 2019. Alex Azar, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, couldnt get through to speak to Trump about the virus until January 18. Even when he did, Trump interrupted him asking when flavored vaping products would be back on the market.
Trump said that the virus would go away even though there was community spread reported on February 26. Trump did eventually ban travel from China into the U.S. and constantly patted himself on the back for that.
He put the ban on February 2, two weeks after the first known case in the U.S. The ban was also announced after 45 other countries already imposed travel restrictions on China. Even though there were restrictions, there were massive exceptions. U.S. citizens and immediate family members were still allowed to come from China. That said, nearly 40,000 people came in from China in the two months after Trump imposed restrictions.
We also found out that the first cases of COVID-19 in New York primarily came from Europe and it took Trump six weeks to impose restrictions on travelers from there. Even then, ehen he made a speech announcing those restrictions, it made it sound as if Americans would not be allowed back into the country which caused chaos in airports across the country.
When it came to coordination at the beginning of the pandemic the Trump administration was terrible. They were not able to coordinate crucial supplies like PPE which left medical professionals to their own devices to keep them protected.
Oliver said, The White House denies mishandling anything. Trump tried to blame the previous administration for medical professionals not having the appropriate PPE despite the fact that he has been president for three years.
Mike Bowen, an executive at one of the top PPE production companies in the country has been sounding the alarm for years saying that most of the countrys mask supply comes from abroad. In January, when Bown saw what was happening he attempted to contact anyone he could in the government to ramp up production of masks in the U.S. He didnt get any response and later testified in front of Congress to address the consequences due to the lack of response from the administration and it was dire.
Like everyone else on Earth, the U.S. had to scramble for medical equipment like everyone else on earth and it created chaos. To add to that, Trump made Jared Kushner the leader of a Supply Chain Task Force and he failed miserably.
That brings us to the final area of what could have prevented a lot of this: communication.
Oliver said, Trump has repeatedly undermined public messaging from the very start despite the fact that as we now know, he knew extremely early on just how bad things could get.
In private he admitted the severity of the virus, but in public during press conferences, he downplayed the spread of the virus. Oliver simply stated: Trump just lied.
He added that even as it became clear to everyone that this was very much more than the flu, Trump constantly undermined his own administration.On April 3, the CDC finally advised that Americans should wear masks in public but Trump undercut it. He leaned into the word voluntary when it came to wearing a mask. To that, he said, I dont think Im gonna do it.
And just like that, wearing a mask was a political issue, said Oliver. He didnt wear a mask in public until July.
Because he said it was voluntary from the jump, Americans were listening to him. In news clips, people were saying that if Trump wasnt worried about the virus, they werent worried.
It has been genuinely remarkable just how consistently trump has undercut public health messaging, said Oliver. He went on to point out that over a decade ago the CDC put out six principles in how a leader should communicate during a crisis: Be First, Be Right, Be Credible, Express Empathy, Promote Action, and Show Respect.
Oliver commented, Trump did the precise opposite of every single one of those.
When it came to empathy, the hardest of the six to do badly, Trump failed. Oliver brought up the fact that he did not think of what medical professionals had to go through at the start of the pandemic. In New York, there were mass graves, makeshift morgues and medical professionals having emotional break downs. It was utterly brutal, said Oliver.
During a Trump press conference in the Oval Office at the start of the pandemic, one man expressed his concern about what his colleagues are going through and the post-traumatic trauma due to all the deaths. Trumps response? He just passed pens around to the people.
As we have seen in the past eight months, the lack of preparation, coordination and communication has had real-world effects.
I know that Trump wants everyone to believe that nothing more could have been done but thats just not true. Other countries have done more and suffered less, Oliver stated.
Has trump done a good job handling the pandemic? Well, he got the disease so that should give you an appropriate answer. When it comes to Trumps failures, there was so much more that Oliver couldnt get to such as using the racist term kung flu to the fact that he never developed a comprehensive plan to fight COVID. Trump also removed an independent watchdog for coronavirus funds and asked people to slow down testing. He even made baseless claims that doctors were inflating coronavirus death counts for money and who can forget when he suggested that sunlight and ingesting disinfectants could help cure coronavirus. On top of all that, he has repeatedly undermined the nations top infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
If Biden is elected, its not like he will magically end this pandemic, but hell at least take it seriously and its pretty bleak that alone sounds good but it really does, said Oliver. At this point, Trump is clearly bored of hearing about COVID and I am sorry about that. But do you know what has been completely exhausting for the rest of us? Worrying about it all the time.
He continued, This virus has taken so much from us: our peace of mind, our routines and nearly a quarter of a million Americans and its frankly pathetic that in response the only thing Trump has offered people in this country over the past eight months are damaging lies, staggering incompetence and occasionally when hes feeling generous, some sh*tty f*cking pens.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb testifies on Capitol Hill in April 2017. Getty Images
Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb warned Sunday that Thanksgiving will be an inflection point for the coronavirus pandemic, and that things will only get worse in December.
Speaking Sunday on CBS Newss Face the Nation, Gottlieb, President Donald Trumps former head of the Food and Drug Administration, said things are getting worse around the country. I think Thanksgiving is really going to be an inflection point. I think December is probably going to be our toughest month.
Gottliebs comments echoed those of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who told the Washington Post in a weekend interview that were in for a whole lot of hurt in the coming months. The White House quickly condemned Fauci for making those comments, claiming he was politicizing the pandemic.
I think the facts are going to overtake any political dialogue very quickly, Gottlieb told CBS News. I think as we get into the next two or three weeks, it will be unmistakable whats happening around the country, and were going to have to start taking tough steps.
Gottlieb said he doesnt expect another widespread lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, but instead urged a targeted approach, including wearing face masks and the passage of another aid package from Congress.
He also dismissed unfounded claims by President Donald Trump that doctors are inflating coronavirus numbers because hospitals make more money in federal reimbursements from coronavirus deaths.
Gottlieb called Trumps assertations troubling, and that doctors doing so would be committing fraud. Unfortunately I think there [are] probably advisers telling him that, he added.
New coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths and have spiked in recent weeks, witha record 98,000 new casesconfirmed Friday.
As of Sunday, the U.S. has had nearly 9.2 million coronavirus cases, with more than 230,000 deaths, according to data fromJohns Hopkins University.
Pharmaceutical company Moderna is aiming to distribute its COVID-19 vaccine globally, reportedly already accepting $1.1 billion in deposits from governments around the world looking to secure doses of the vaccine, CNBC reports.
The firm revealed this in its third quarter earnings report, saying that it has been engaging in negotiations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and its vaccine distribution cohort COVAX. Moderna and the agency are working on a tiered pricing proposal for the drug, called mRNA-1273, to help it be distributed equitably throughout the world.
Moderna has already secured supply agreements with North America, the Middle East and other regions.
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We are actively preparing for the launch of mRNA-1273 and we have signed a number of supply agreements with governments around the world, Moderna CEO Stphane Bancel said in a press release. Moderna is committed to the highest data quality standards and rigorous scientific research as we continue to work with regulators to advance mRNA-1273.
The vaccine candidate is made up of messenger RNA, which may help the body launch an immune reaction when it detects the virus.
Moderna has been one of the frontrunners in the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. The drug manufacturer has been receiving funding from the White House as part of the Trump Administrations Operation Warp Speed plan.
MRNA-1273 is in the final stage three clinical trials. As of last week, CNBC notes that more than 25,650 volunteers had received the second dose of the companys drug.
In August, the company reportedly said that it would charge somewhere between $32 and $37 per dose for mRNA-1273 for some customers to make it affordable.
When the vaccine would be widely available was not mentioned. Public health officials like Anthony Fauci have repeatedly said that a vaccine wont be widely available until mid-2021, but that data showcasing an effective and safe vaccine will be ready in December.
Earlier in October, Bancel confirmed that the Moderna vaccine will be ready to be widely distributed around the late first quarter to the early second quarter of 2021.
He also noted that the company would not file for the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations Emergency Use Approval until Nov. 25 at the earliest.
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Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.
Every week, The American Journal of Managed Carerecaps the top managed care news of the week.
This week, the top managed care news included updates on coronavirus disease 2019 therapies and vaccine candidates; a discussion on keeping physicians independent through value-based care; an overview of the 2020 Community Oncology Alliance Virtual Payer Exchange Summit.
Listen above or through one of these podcast services:
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A handful of drone-delivery startups want to help transport Covid-19 vaccines from distribution facilities to health centers, vying for a logistical role in what is likely to be a sprawling and complex undertaking.
Several of these businesses recently have entered into medical delivery partnerships with drug companies and retailersincluding Merck & Co. and Walmart Inc. that could help position them to take part in the high-profile effort to distribute Covid-19 vaccines.
Meanwhile,...
Anticipation is building for the first coronavirus vaccines to become available to Americans. Four drugmakers are currently conducting late-stage clinical studies for experimental COVID-19 vaccines, with a fifth company planning to begin late-stage testing of its vaccine candidate by the end of November.
The arrival of one or more safe and effective vaccines will definitely be a major milestone in the battle to control the COVID-19 pandemic. However, these vaccines won't be everything that everyone wants them to be. Here are three things about the coronavirus vaccines that could be on the way that you almost certainly won't like.
Image source: Getty Images.
Let's assume that Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) report great results and win FDA emergency use authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 before the end of this year. Suppose that Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) also secures EUA for its vaccine, mRNA-1273. At some point over the following months in this hypothetical scenario, you would be able to receive one of these vaccines (or one of the other leading candidates that might make it to market).
After you're vaccinated, you won't have to worry about getting COVID-19, right? Think again. It's a virtual certainty that none of the vaccines will be 100% effective. Unfortunately, there's a decent chance that you could receive a coronavirus vaccine yet still be diagnosed with COVID-19.
The FDA's threshold for efficacy is actually pretty low -- only 50%.Sure, we all hope that the coronavirus vaccines that become available to Americans are a whole lot more effective than flipping a coin. However, there's no guarantee that will be the case.
No one likes to get a vaccine shot. It's a hassle to go to your healthcare provider to be vaccinated. Having a needle stuck in your arm isn't fun. You also face the possibility of side effects, some of which can make you feel especially crummy.
Now take all of those negatives and double them. There's a very good chance that you'll have to receive two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, one dose several weeks after the first dose.
Pfizer's and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine requires two doses. So does Moderna's vaccine. Ditto for the COVID-19 vaccines being developed by AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) and Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX). Of the leaders in the coronavirus vaccine race, onlyJohnson & Johnson's (NYSE:JNJ) JNJ-78436735 is a one-and-done option.
J&J is lagging behind Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, though. Why? Because it started late-stage testing after the others and had to temporarily pause its study due to a potential safety issue (one that didn't turn out to be a problem after further investigation). If these companies' coronavirus vaccines win EUA, you could end up receiving one of them before J&J's vaccine is available.
Some Americans might envision a not-too-distant future where COVID-19 is a thing of the past. No vaccines, no masks, no problems. The masks probably won't be necessary down the road if all goes well. However, don't count on the need for coronavirus vaccines to go away; they'll probably be the new normal.
It seems probable that COVID-19 will be akin to the flu in some ways. It will rear its ugly head on a regular basis. Anyone who receives the vaccine, though, will have less of a chance of being infected. If they are infected, the vaccine could help reduce the severity of the symptoms.
I'm sorry to dish out this discouraging outlook. However, there's still plenty of good news.
First of all, even if COVID-19 vaccines aren't as effective as desired, they should still help tremendously in curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus. That will help move us past the mask-wearing phase we've been in for months. And you can keep your fingers crossed that efficacy levels are really high.
While most of the current leaders in the coronavirus vaccine race require two doses, there are others in early stage testing that, like J&J's vaccine, only require one dose. Even better, some companies are developing vaccines that don't require an injection. Gulping down a couple of tablets would be much preferable to getting a shot. It's still early, though, so don't get your hopes up too much just yet.
The new normal of getting a COVID-19 vaccine every year also might not be as bad as it seems, either. Novavax, for example, hopes to develop a combo flu/COVID-19 vaccine. If it's successful, you potentially won't have to receive any more shots than you are now (assuming that you're getting your flu vaccine each year).
Finally, there's the investing angle. This is a Motley Fool article, after all, so we can't forget investors. There are several biotech stocks and pharma stocks that provide attractive opportunities for investors. Some of these stocks could soar over the next few months even more than they've already done. Pardon the pun, but COVID-19 vaccines just might give you a shot at making a lot of money.
