Three things for November 18
1. States expand mask mandates, social restrictions due to rising hospitalizations
COVID-19 hospitalizations have recently hit record numbers across the U.S. On Monday, the average daily cases for a week was over 155,000, and “the daily average number of Covid-19 deaths was at 1,145 — the country’s highest since May 24,” according to CNN.
Hospitals everywhere continue to crowd with COVID-19 patients, with some institutions quickly reaching maximum capacity. According to officials in St. Louis, “ICU capacity could run out around the first week of December if current rates continue.”
According to The Atlantic’s Covid Tracking Project, more than 76,000 Americans were in the hospital due to coronavirus on Tuesday, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.
As a result of the recent surge of coronavirus, new rules and regulations are being implemented in several states, including requiring face coverings, limiting gatherings and business occupancies or even generally asking people to stay home.
However, not all states are responding similarly with enforcing public health policies, let alone collectively agreeing on a single plan of action.
“We need every single state in this country to have a mask mandate,” said Dr. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean of Georgia’s Emory University School of Medicine.
2. Some Walmart stores report shortages of toilet paper, cleaning supplies
As the statistics for COVID-19 cases and deaths persistently climb in various locations across the nation, shoppers are once again stocking up on paper goods and cleaning supplies.
The continued outbreaks everywhere are thrusting the country into the second big wave of the virus since the spring. As a result, there is once again a high demand for these necessary products, and it is leading to empty shelves at some Walmart stores.
Despite Walmart being the largest retailer in the country, Walmart officials said it has been more of a challenge “to stock consistently in locations with sharp spikes in new virus cases.”
This is the second major wave of the virus since the springtime and the second time Walmart has been out of stock in necessary products.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said it is “disappointing” to see empty shelves again during this second wave.
However, he went on to say “the situation has improved since the spring” and stressed they are “better prepared to handle the demand better than we did in the first wave.”
3. Officials warn against large family gatherings during holiday season
If an individual is exposed to COVID-19 before Thanksgiving Day, officials agree that receiving a negative test does not guarantee being virus-free and should not be the only factor taken into consideration when deciding to be around family.
Even if an individual is tested the day after knowingly being exposed to the virus, it can take days before a new infection shows up on a Covid-19 test.
It is not until a couple of days after exposure that the virus can be more accurately identified because “the virus takes time to replicate in the body to detectable levels,” according to Justin Lessler, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
According to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, chief of the infectious diseases division at Massachusetts General Hospital, “a person can absolutely be contagious while testing negative.”
To control infection risk, “it’s important to strictly quarantine before your COVID-19 test and after your test.” Lessler said.
Ultimately, the safest approach for celebrating the holidays during this pandemic is to celebrate remotely. In doing so, Walensky says we can have a much better shot of being around the table together, healthy, in 2021.
“I think for the short term, we have to hunker down,” said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine at George Washington University. “Next year’s going to be much better. Let’s get through this, and let’s get through it safely.”
