Wow - the COVID numbers today are staggering

[NewHendoLib]

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

157+K new cases - 1700 deaths.

And with all of the various Super Spreader events that surely happened over Labor Day weekend (we witnessed one here in my small town) - seems our country has lost its collective mind.

And this map shows it well - nearly all red or dark red - and is worse today than yesterday

https://covidactnow.org/?s=22721195

[Ms. Toad]

1. Things have actually slowed down.

I'm not convinced it is anything other than lax reporting ovr the labor day weekend - but I expected it to be 200,000/day on August 27, when the dust settled. It only reached around 196,000.

My original prediction in late July when growth was 9% over 2 weeks was that we'd hit 200,000/day this week. Then it accelerated dramatically - and it looked like we'd hit the 200,000 mark in mid-late August, and has slowed considerably.

Unfortunately, I'm expecting the school bump to be pretty dramatic over the next couple of weeks.

[Hugin]

23. If you look at the counties map...

The spread is far greater to the north and east than it was a month ago. Also, you can actually see the Sturgis spike in SD. It does look like it is fading in the state itself, but, I believe the redder west is a ripple from that event.

It would be informative to see a map of the variants and where they are hot. I haven't seen anything like that around. I don't know if there is enough PCR test reporting to support it. I was thinking that would be necessary to track the potential next waves. Another piece would be to see if re-infection is occurring anywhere.

[Ms. Toad]

27. I was responding to the national numbers

Which are at least momentarily tending down, nationally.

It requires special tests (genomic sequencing) to identify variants - a routine PCR test doesn't identify variants. But variants are hot all over the place. 99% of all new US cases are delta, at this point. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/delta-variant-prevalence-by-state.html (from a little over a week ago).

[Hugin]

28. I was aware of that and agree.

What is cool about looking at it at the county level is that you can actually see the spread slowing and receding as it enters states with higher vaccination rates. Right there, proof that vaccination works! Now that some of the other protocols are going back into effect, hopefully, we'll see more slowing.

[Demovictory9]

2. Wow

[Doodley]

3. How to kill Republicans and tank their stocks in two easy stages. 1/ Be anti-mask. 2/ Be anti-vax.

[monkeyman1]

10. personality ,I have seen a lot of intelligence in the republican party ever !

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. Our stocks and 401ks too!!!

[Skittles]

4. people who think a football game is more important than a pandemic

can seriously go fuck themselves

[SergeStorms]

8. My neighbors....

went to the Clemson - Georgia game last Saturday. They're both home sick today, and I'm not getting anywhere near them.

They're both in their late 20s, and both have been vaccinated.

I watched the game at home, saved myself $800, and I'm not sick. I had a lot better view of the game as well. Their seats were crap at $400 apiece.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

14. Who won ?

[carpetbagger]

16. Clearly, the coronavirus and its fans

[Stallion]

17. Defense

No offensive touchdowns

[SergeStorms]

25. Georgia, 10 - 3.

A defensive battle all the way. Not very exciting if you want lots of offense, but it was a great game. Not great enough to get COVID over, but I guess that's a matter of opinion to some.

[babylonsister]

9. A game, an amusement park, a fair, the list goes on.

I agree. People should stay the hell home. It's that serious. Sadly, this speaks volumes about those who walk among us.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

15. In my little county in TX about 290k people, there is ZERO

word from mayor. And we are one of the worst counties in US. Today worst day since start. And big event this weekend 700 people indoors.

[Treefrog]

5. Rec.

Though I wish I didn’t have to…

[paleotn]

6. Make you wonder what Fall and Winter will look like.

Maybe I don't want to know.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

7. Was in Las Vegas last week and I'm not surprised

Was in town looking at and buying a car for my dad and I had dinner at casino on the strip and drove by Fremont street and it was absolutely packed. Masks are required indoors, but it's didnt seem to be enforced much. Asked one of my uber drivers about it and he said most people, especially tourists, and a lot of businesses don't care anymore. The casinos are doing the bare minimum to keep the gaming board off their backs and despite the Governor's order, there doesn't seem to be much enforcement going on. As far as air travel, the airports were fairly busy and Delta oversold my flights both ways. They were very strict about masks on the planes though. Thankfully there were no passengers causing any issues as far as I could tell.

[Moebym]

11. Quite a few anti-mandate protests have been taking place lately on the Strip n/t

[Laura PourMeADrink]

12. Today was the worst day in my red TX county!!

[Jon King]

18. It took quite an effort for 1700 to die today.

Almost impossible for a country with a free vaccine available for the past 9 months to have this many dead. It took a tremendous amount of work to achieve that. A combination of ignorance, arrogance, misinformation, and obesity at record levels.

[NewHendoLib]

19. yep. we should be so un-proud of ourselves

[Blue Owl]

20. Softly and tenderly, Herman is calling...

[greenjar_01]

21. They're collecting Labor Day weekend numbers

The Illinois number probably includes deaths all the way back to Friday of last week. It's a problem in the method for worldometers, which basically just marks a difference from the previous day's count without any more nuance than that.

[MyMission]

22. Yes, our red town had a super spreader event this weekend

The 75th Annual Apple Festival on main street, 4 days of outdoor crowds and many shopping and dining indoors, where more spreading occurs.

I wore a fresh kn95 mask every day, even outside, as I had to work every day (part inside, part outside). Most were not wearing masks, I'd say 10-20% were outside, and some more put them on to go into stores.. Many came from high covid areas; neighboring SC and GA, a large number from FL and TN, and many from NC. And those attending were not the cautious sort.

Just checked for the attendance numbers. I guestimated about 50,000 less than usual, and I was close! Not as many but still a few hundred thousand!

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) —
North Carolina Apple Festival organizers estimate about 220,000 people attended this year's event.
In other years, up to 275,000 people were estimated to have attended the festival.

[wishstar]

24. Wondered about that as WLOS TV coverage of festival showed no masks there

We went to H'ville Saturday to ride bikes on the Oklawaha Creek Greenway and over to the Air Museum but did not go downtown. Air Museum had big wide front entrance open and there were only a couple of masked people there until a large maskless family with kids arrived so we quickly exited the building. At Jackson Park there was large maskless crowd watching the kids baseball games.

On way home stopped briefly at flea market for spouse to run in to get some produce and surprisingly everyone had on masks of the people who walked by our parked car where I was waiting.

Sadly we are probably going to have a spike in Covid after Labor Day just like last year.

[MyMission]

26. Yet WTZQ radio did not have a broadcast booth there this year

Their ad rep told me they didn't want a a booth with the crowds around and invading their booth, which usually happens. Said they could broadcast it fine from their studio, with onsite reports.
I respect that.

I found it interesting that many had masks ready if they were going in a store, but felt safe outside in the crowds. And many do seem willing to put one on, and it strikes me that if they were mandated instead of recommended more people would wear them.

I'm a statistician by training. I see a normal curve. On one end, folks who will not wear one, on the other end folks who will always wear one. The big lump in the middle can skew either way.
If stores and businesses and community require a mask most will comply. If it's not required many will choose not to, except when they see "everyone" is masked. When they see people wearing them (or not) they are more inclined to follow what others are doing. I always wear mine inside, outside I decide based on where I am and what I'm doing.

I work for an old family run store, and we have several racks outside during festivals and take turns sitting outside, watching the merchandise and directing folks inside. I got to do a lot of people watching. At one point I was snapping photos whenever I saw people wearing masks.
Playing "find the masked folks in the crowd" lol and sad, they were few and far between.

Many ask if they need to wear a mask coming into the store. I sometimes reply that it's not required, but if they're asking my opinion I think everyone needs to be wearing one.