Levels of coronavirus detected in Boston-area waste water have reached new highs, with seven-day averages that shatter previous record-breaking levels.
On Dec. 29, the seven-day average of virus traces in the waste water in the southern sample of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s territory was 8,164 RNA copies/mL. That’s up from 2,574 RNA copies/mL on Dec. 23, meaning the average has more than tripled in the last six days.
Waste-water testing serves as an early warning sign for a COVID-19 surge. Cambridge-based Biobot Analytics, which tests the waste water coming into MWRA’s Deer Island treatment plant, has said it has found the amount of virus in the waste water is correlated with newly diagnosed coronavirus cases four to 10 days later. …
Orange County Utilities detected more than double the level of viral fragments recorded during the peak of the delta surge over the summer, officials said Thursday.
The omicron variant, first detected in Orange County in early December, has rapidly become the most dominant version of the virus, according to wastewater testing data.
Wastewater monitoring has been likened to a Doppler radar early-warning system for COVID-19, picking up infections without symptoms or that were never documented through laboratory testing. Viral fragments are shed through the stool, and higher concentrations in samples are typically followed by higher case numbers.
Samples collected on Monday revealed the level of viral fragments is 7,506% higher than July 1, the start of the delta surge, according to the summary.
I do wish that we had tried to learn from and along with China, rather than dismissing the Chinese approach. Please notice the date of this evidently unfortunate column:
Xavier Anderson, a worker at Stellantis’ Sterling Stamping Plant north of Detroit, died recently, according to a Facebook post by United Auto Workers Local 1264. While the cause of death was not made public, one worker confirmed that Anderson died of COVID-19.
The confirmed COVID-19 death toll during 2021 inside the plant now stands at five. Two other workers, Kevin Railey and Omie Smith, died earlier this month, Blair Alexander Braden in October, and skilled tradesman Mark Bruce in April. A sixth worker, Terry Garr, also died in April from an accident in the plant.
COVID-19 cases at Sterling Stamping are continuing to rise. Thirty-five infections have been confirmed in December, close to November’s record high of 42 infections. These two months have by far the highest reported infections at the plant during the pandemic and account for more than 40 percent of total confirmed cases. This is all the more significant given that the plant has been working with a reduced workforce for much of the fall and winter.
Over 830,000 Americans have died during the coronavirus pandemic. Worldwide, the real death toll is estimated to be over 15 million. But those who died were not statistics to those who knew them but family members, friends and coworkers whose lives were tragically cut short.
here’s an earlier article with more details about some of those who died of Covid while working there:
COVID rapidly spreading through Detroit auto plants with reports of at least three deathsCOVID infections are spreading throughout Detroit area auto plants, with coworkers reporting at least three deaths in recent days. The dire situation in the factories is not being reported in the corporate media and is being deliberately concealed by the auto companies and the United Auto Workers union, which are collaborating to keep production going, no matter what the human cost.
Omie Smith (UAW L. 1264 Facebook page)
Over the past few days, two notices were posted on UAW Local 1264 Facebook page about deaths at the Sterling Stamping Plant (SSP), a Stellantis (Chrysler) factory located just north of Detroit.
On Saturday, a notice was posted on the death of Omie Smith, a first shift worker who, according to the post, was “not just a coworker but a friend to many” who worked at Sterling Stamping.
On Monday, a funeral notice was posted on the union Facebook page for Kevin Andrew Railey, 51, reporting that he died on December 18. The notice was followed by several comments sending condolences to his family and warmly remembering Bailey. “I always enjoyed working with him,” read one, while another said, “I’ll miss our talks.” After the comment, “This one hurts,” a worker replied, “The last few have… you figure we spent years with these guys…”
“I was told Omie died from COVID,” a Sterling Stamping worker told the WSWS. “He used to be in a group that played chess on the first shift. They cover it up when someone dies of COVID. The new death [Railey] is also COVID-related. I blame the company. They have been negligent.”
At the Warren Truck Assembly plant, a few miles south of SSP, infections are spreading out of control. A recent post on the UAW Local 140 Facebook page reported the death of worker whose name has not been revealed. “It’s a shame that COVID has killed a person recently and it’s going through the plant like wildfire. But it’s still running like nothing is going on. Damn near the whole chassis (line) got COVID just in case y’all didn’t know.”
Over 2.8 bln COVID-19 vaccine doses administered on Chinese mainland
More than 2.8 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered on the Chinese mainland as of Wednesday, data from the National Health Commission showed.
[ Chinese coronavirus vaccine yearly production capacity is more than 7 billion doses. Along with over 2.8 billion doses of Chinese vaccines administered domestically, more than 2 billion doses have already been distributed to more than 120 countries internationally. Nineteen countries are now producing Chinese vaccines from delivered raw materials. ]
If you remember at Economist View years back, you and someone else were discussing healthcare and I believe Single Payor. I consider Kip Sullivan to be the expert on Single Payor and they consider him to be such in Minnesota also. I feel fortunate to be able to post his series here at Angry Bear. I hope you take the time to listen to it.
new studies on lab animals and human tissues are providing the first indication of why the Omicron variant causes milder disease than previous versions of the coronavirus.
In studies on mice and hamsters, Omicron produced less damaging infections, often limited largely to the upper airway: the nose, throat and windpipe. The variant did much less harm to the lungs, where previous variants would often cause scarring and serious breathing difficulty.
“It’s fair to say that the idea of a disease that manifests itself primarily in the upper respiratory system is emerging,” said Roland Eils, a computational biologist at the Berlin Institute of Health, who has studied how coronaviruses infect the airway. …
Ron (RC) Weakley (A.K.A., Darryl For A While At EV) says:
I get so confused, particularly when it comes to the big lie. Which big lie? There have been so many of them that one might think that big lies are the foundation of democracy, if not all of western civilization.
At the link below one can purchase an article on Thomas Berger’s Little Big Man as History, which ties the factual accounts back to the fictional novel. Just watching the movie has always been good enough to me though.
[Then there is this.] http://arcticshores.blogspot.com/2010/11/little-big-man-1970-and-strangeness-of.html LITTLE BIG MAN (1970): And the Strangeness of the White Man It was common for the United States government to make promises to Native Americans that were to remain in effect “for as long as the wind blows, the grass grows, and the sky is blue.” But as the 121 year-old narrator in Little Big Man reminds us, “Sometimes the wind don’t blow, the grass don’t grow, and the sky ain’t blue.” There was no getting rid of the white man, and language of the treaties promising the American Indian that he could retain ownership of something like eighty percent of North American land obviously was ignored…
Ron (RC) Weakley (A.K.A., Darryl For A While At EV) says:
Kip and I talk back and forth. I did want to make sure you saw this series. It is more complete than I could make it and he has all the data to boot. I have a third part of a 12 page letter he wrote on Value added healthcare, value-based care, managed healthcare alias Medicare Advantage. The final part reviews the numerous attempts to implement various versions of VAC all of which failed.
Building a library of these posts and linking them so as others can search and find them at AB.
Ron (RC) Weakley (A.K.A., Darryl For A While At EV) says:
The New Year brought record-high temperatures to Norfolk.
The National Weather Service reported that the high temperature for the day was 76 degrees, which was 1 degree higher than the previous record set in 1952.
The low temperature was 58 degrees, which also broke a record. The previous record high minimum temperature of 55 degrees was set in 1973, according to the weather service.
The National Weather Service has been tracking record temperatures in Norfolk since 1874.
The warm temperatures aren’t expected to stick around for long, though.
A strong cold front moving through the region Sunday night will bring a chance of snow Monday.
If there’s any accumulation, it’s expected on grassy, elevated surfaces, according to the weather service.
Cold temperatures Monday night could turn any standing water on the roadways into black ice. Temperatures are expected to drop into the teens and lower 20s.
Sunny skies are expected Tuesday, and temperatures should climb into the 50s mid-week.
*
[I have been holiday house bound with my wife so long that I am putting on my knee high Mucks and walking around the yard in the snow tomorrow when she goes back to work. Got to work off some turkey and pork tenderloin anyway and my patio roses which have been adequately protected so far by their southern exposure are not ready for forecast overnight lows here tomorrow night without assistance from some shredded cedar mulch.]
Ron (RC) Weakley (A.K.A., Darryl For A While At EV) says:
December 30, 2021
Coronavirus
United States
Cases ( 55,246,781)
Deaths ( 845,737)
Deaths per million ( 2,533)
China
Cases ( 101,890)
Deaths ( 4,636)
Deaths per million ( 3)
Whatever this means, it can’t be good.
Coronavirus detected in Boston-area waste water reaches ominous new highs
Levels of coronavirus detected in Boston-area waste water have reached new highs, with seven-day averages that shatter previous record-breaking levels.
On Dec. 29, the seven-day average of virus traces in the waste water in the southern sample of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s territory was 8,164 RNA copies/mL. That’s up from 2,574 RNA copies/mL on Dec. 23, meaning the average has more than tripled in the last six days.
Waste-water testing serves as an early warning sign for a COVID-19 surge. Cambridge-based Biobot Analytics, which tests the waste water coming into MWRA’s Deer Island treatment plant, has said it has found the amount of virus in the waste water is correlated with newly diagnosed coronavirus cases four to 10 days later. …
Florida too, Fred…
The omicron variant, first detected in Orange County in early December, has rapidly become the most dominant version of the virus, according to wastewater testing data.
Wastewater monitoring has been likened to a Doppler radar early-warning system for COVID-19, picking up infections without symptoms or that were never documented through laboratory testing. Viral fragments are shed through the stool, and higher concentrations in samples are typically followed by higher case numbers.
Samples collected on Monday revealed the level of viral fragments is 7,506% higher than July 1, the start of the delta surge, according to the summary.
I do wish that we had tried to learn from and along with China, rather than dismissing the Chinese approach. Please notice the date of this evidently unfortunate column:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/opinion/china-wuhan-virus-quarantine.html
January 27, 2020
Will the Largest Quarantine in History Just Make Things Worse?
The dirty history behind isolating the sick.
By Howard Markel
It’s the largest quarantine in human history, but will it stop the disease?
Howard Markel is the George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan.
@ ltr:
here’s an earlier article with more details about some of those who died of Covid while working there:
COVID rapidly spreading through Detroit auto plants with reports of at least three deathsCOVID infections are spreading throughout Detroit area auto plants, with coworkers reporting at least three deaths in recent days. The dire situation in the factories is not being reported in the corporate media and is being deliberately concealed by the auto companies and the United Auto Workers union, which are collaborating to keep production going, no matter what the human cost.
Omie Smith (UAW L. 1264 Facebook page)
Over the past few days, two notices were posted on UAW Local 1264 Facebook page about deaths at the Sterling Stamping Plant (SSP), a Stellantis (Chrysler) factory located just north of Detroit.
On Saturday, a notice was posted on the death of Omie Smith, a first shift worker who, according to the post, was “not just a coworker but a friend to many” who worked at Sterling Stamping.
On Monday, a funeral notice was posted on the union Facebook page for Kevin Andrew Railey, 51, reporting that he died on December 18. The notice was followed by several comments sending condolences to his family and warmly remembering Bailey. “I always enjoyed working with him,” read one, while another said, “I’ll miss our talks.” After the comment, “This one hurts,” a worker replied, “The last few have… you figure we spent years with these guys…”
“I was told Omie died from COVID,” a Sterling Stamping worker told the WSWS. “He used to be in a group that played chess on the first shift. They cover it up when someone dies of COVID. The new death [Railey] is also COVID-related. I blame the company. They have been negligent.”
At the Warren Truck Assembly plant, a few miles south of SSP, infections are spreading out of control. A recent post on the UAW Local 140 Facebook page reported the death of worker whose name has not been revealed. “It’s a shame that COVID has killed a person recently and it’s going through the plant like wildfire. But it’s still running like nothing is going on. Damn near the whole chassis (line) got COVID just in case y’all didn’t know.”
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202112/30/WS61cd57cba310cdd39bc7e56a.html
December 30, 2021
Over 2.8 bln COVID-19 vaccine doses administered on Chinese mainland
More than 2.8 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered on the Chinese mainland as of Wednesday, data from the National Health Commission showed.
[ Chinese coronavirus vaccine yearly production capacity is more than 7 billion doses. Along with over 2.8 billion doses of Chinese vaccines administered domestically, more than 2 billion doses have already been distributed to more than 120 countries internationally. Nineteen countries are now producing Chinese vaccines from delivered raw materials. ]
ltr:
If you remember at Economist View years back, you and someone else were discussing healthcare and I believe Single Payor. I consider Kip Sullivan to be the expert on Single Payor and they consider him to be such in Minnesota also. I feel fortunate to be able to post his series here at Angry Bear. I hope you take the time to listen to it.
Why Omicron Is Less Severe: It Spares the Lungs
I get so confused, particularly when it comes to the big lie. Which big lie? There have been so many of them that one might think that big lies are the foundation of democracy, if not all of western civilization.
At the link below one can purchase an article on Thomas Berger’s Little Big Man as History, which ties the factual accounts back to the fictional novel. Just watching the movie has always been good enough to me though.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/43017687
[Then there is this.] http://arcticshores.blogspot.com/2010/11/little-big-man-1970-and-strangeness-of.html LITTLE BIG MAN (1970): And the Strangeness of the White Man It was common for the United States government to make promises to Native Americans that were to remain in effect “for as long as the wind blows, the grass grows, and the sky is blue.” But as the 121 year-old narrator in Little Big Man reminds us, “Sometimes the wind don’t blow, the grass don’t grow, and the sky ain’t blue.” There was no getting rid of the white man, and language of the treaties promising the American Indian that he could retain ownership of something like eighty percent of North American land obviously was ignored…
Just one carriage return short of a full load.
I consider Kip Sullivan to be the expert on Single Payer…
Thanks so much, I read or listen to every Sullivan commentary you post. ]
ltr
Kip and I talk back and forth. I did want to make sure you saw this series. It is more complete than I could make it and he has all the data to boot. I have a third part of a 12 page letter he wrote on Value added healthcare, value-based care, managed healthcare alias Medicare Advantage. The final part reviews the numerous attempts to implement various versions of VAC all of which failed.
Building a library of these posts and linking them so as others can search and find them at AB.
[The ups and downs of climate change.]
https://www.pilotonline.com/weather/vp-nw-record-temp-20220102-ac76vfdyl5h53igfid76enzv2m-story.html
The New Year brought record-high temperatures to Norfolk.
The National Weather Service reported that the high temperature for the day was 76 degrees, which was 1 degree higher than the previous record set in 1952.
The low temperature was 58 degrees, which also broke a record. The previous record high minimum temperature of 55 degrees was set in 1973, according to the weather service.
The National Weather Service has been tracking record temperatures in Norfolk since 1874.
The warm temperatures aren’t expected to stick around for long, though.
A strong cold front moving through the region Sunday night will bring a chance of snow Monday.
If there’s any accumulation, it’s expected on grassy, elevated surfaces, according to the weather service.
Cold temperatures Monday night could turn any standing water on the roadways into black ice. Temperatures are expected to drop into the teens and lower 20s.
Sunny skies are expected Tuesday, and temperatures should climb into the 50s mid-week.
*
[I have been holiday house bound with my wife so long that I am putting on my knee high Mucks and walking around the yard in the snow tomorrow when she goes back to work. Got to work off some turkey and pork tenderloin anyway and my patio roses which have been adequately protected so far by their southern exposure are not ready for forecast overnight lows here tomorrow night without assistance from some shredded cedar mulch.]
The NWS forecasts an overnight low of 19F for here in Sandston, VA, tomorrow night after a daytime high of a cloudy, snowy, 37F.