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Greetings!
Welcome to the “my neighbors are getting over a mild case of Covid so I still refuse to call it ‘endemic’ edition” of Revitalize. In saying that we are not using endemic we paraphrased one of our favorite physicians Dr. Kavita Patel, who joined the Great Journalist Laurie Garret on our podcast of the week: Is Covid becoming an epidemic of the poor and the stupid? We link to Deep State Radio, where both proclaimed that it is a bit too early to use the term endemic and offered us a great and much needed update on Covid-19.
- Coronavirus cases are rising again in the United States after a precipitous fall from their January peak.
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Cases have increased in a majority of states and territories during the past two weeks, but the inclines are sharpest in the Northeast and Midwest. In Washington, D.C., Michigan and New Hampshire, cases have more than doubled since the start of the month.
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Experts believe that two new subvariants may be contributing to this growth. Both evolved from the BA.2 subvariant, a strain known to be highly contagious.
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The average number of reported cases announced per day in the U.S. remains at its lowest level since the summer of 2021. Still, the prevalence of home tests, which often go unreported in official tallies, suggests that the current volume of cases is likely an undercount.
- Hospitalizations also remain low. On average, fewer than 15,000 people are in American hospitals with the coronavirus each day — a figure comparable only to the earliest weeks of the pandemic.
- Deaths in the pandemic, which are expected to reach 1 million in the United States in the coming weeks, continue to decline. Around 425 coronavirus deaths are currently being reported each day, a decrease of more than 30 percent in the past two weeks.
For the the first time in a few week, we offer a summary chart on U.S. data, which even for our casual reader illustrates great progress and far too many total cases and deaths:
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Our first story is from The New York Times, the story title, which is a Headline, says it all: “‘Big screaming headlines’ Coronavirus cases have risen in major cities. Hospitalizations have not.’”
Of the many stories on the federal Court decision as to airplane masking, as more and more venues go maskless, we recommend The San Francisco Chronicle for an answer to the question “Just how risky is public transportation where masking is optional after a court ruling?” The answer is found in their story: “Should you still mask up on planes and buses? Bay Area experts assess the risks of public transit.” And as they say in the newsroom: "Hold the presses!" for as we were wrapping this issue we learned from and linked to CNN for "DOJ appeals federal ruling on transportation mask mandate."
The Atlantic’s Katherine Wu asks “Have we already ruined our next Covid summer?” She reports that “A lot has changed since last year’s pre-Delta lull, but America can still reclaim some coronavirus-free chill—if it decides to commit.”
Staying at The Atlantic (as we often do) we offer Gal Beckerman’s “How to make change, slowly.” Beckermen in this great essay with book recommendations offers: “Making a difference is not just about charismatic leaders and huge protests. As these books show, social and political shifts are usually the result of sustained, unseen work.”
A comprehensive, well written, easy to read article on the current medical and public health state of the virus is best assigned to StatNews. We link to “Covid hasn’t given up all its secrets. Here are 6 mysteries experts hope to unravel.”
Thanks to our friends at Skilled Nursing News for telling their readership about our recent ABI Journal Article in "Litigation, staff shortages and access to capital pose the greatest threats to nursing homes." Summarizing the great work done by our coauthors Cecily Dumas and Scott Prince, reporter Amy Stulick outlines what we find to date in nursing home litigation and some predictions in the future. Above the Law’s recent article: “2 key issues In Covid-19 insurance litigation so far–understanding what the courts have ruled so far is key to formulating case strategies going forward” offers an update to our work. Linked is that article that tell us: “As major catastrophic events always do, the Covid-19 pandemic has become a major source of litigation. In fact, it’s already one of the largest waves of insurance coverage litigation in our nation’s history, and it’s only just getting started.”
From Culver City, where schools are back from spring break, and yes the neighbors did get Covid at Disney World, we offer you Revitalize for April 21, 2021:
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Revitalize: The week in health-care news you need
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Is Covid becoming an epidemic of the poor and the stupid? Americans may be done with Covid but Covid is not yet done with us. David Rothkopf talks with Kavita Patel, formerly of the Obama Administration, and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Laurie Garrett. America is taking its guard down too early and what that means for the future of the fight against Covid. What is the impact of personalizing risk assessment? How many boosters will we need? What about the global fight against the disease? Find out in this incredibly thorough episode.
‘Big Screaming Headlines:’ Coronavirus cases have risen in major cities. Hospitalizations have not.
Should you still mask up on planes and buses? Bay Area experts assess the risks of public transit. Just how risky is public transportation where masking is optional after a court ruling... and CNN The Justice Department on Wednesday appealed a ruling by a federal judge that struck down the mask mandate for mass transportation, following a recommendation by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It is CDC's continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health," the CDC said in a statement. "CDC will continue to monitor public health conditions to determine whether such an order remains necessary. CDC believes this is a lawful order, well within CDC's legal authority to protect public health."
Have we already ruined our next Covid summer? A lot has changed since last year’s pre-Delta lull, but America can still reclaim some coronavirus-free chill—if it decides to commit.
How to make change, slowly. Making a difference is not just about charismatic leaders and huge protests. As these books show, social and political shifts are usually the result of sustained, unseen work.
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Covid hasn’t given up all its secrets. Here are 6 mysteries experts hope to unravel.
Litigation, staff shortages and access to capital pose the greatest threats to nursing homes. The skilled nursing industry is facing three major threats at this point in the pandemic: lawsuits tied to Covid cases, the continued staffing shortage and limited access to capital. That’s according to Cecily Dumas and Scott Prince of Cleveland, Ohio-based law firm BakerHostetler and Jerry Seelig, founder and CEO of consulting firm Seelig+Cussigh.
2 key issues In Covid-19 insurance litigation so far–understanding what the courts have ruled so far is key to formulating case strategies going forward. As major catastrophic events always do, the COVID-19 pandemic has become a major source of litigation. In fact, it’s already one of the largest waves of insurance coverage litigation in our nation’s history, and it’s only just getting started. Since the pandemic fully set in and shut everything down in March 2020, the amount of litigation that has been filed is staggering. Over 2,100 lawsuits seeking coverage for pandemic-related business interruption have been filed in at least 44 states. This has generated more than 800 trial court decisions and nearly 20 appellate court decisions so far.
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Jerry Seelig, CEO
Fax: 310-841-2842
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