Delta Surge May Be Nearing Peak, But More Daily Deaths Are Expected

Bloomberg: Covid Optimists See U.S. Nearing Delta Peak, But Risks Abound
Covid-19 cases are falling in many of the original delta-variant hot spots in the U.S. That means the rest of the country could soon follow, dodging the mass hospitalizations and surging deaths seen recently in Florida and the Deep South. Maybe. The U.S. is recording more than 1,000 deaths a day, a count that has more than tripled in a month. But in Arkansas and Missouri, where the delta surge began, the seven-day average of cases is down 12% from the peak, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Florida and Louisiana -- the second phase of the U.S. delta wave -- are starting to see similar declines. Cases are climbing in other states, but the pace has slowed. (Levin, 8/23)

CNBC: Covid Deaths Could 'Climb Even Higher In The Next Couple Weeks,' Warns Dr. Ashish Jha
Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, warned about the toll of the pandemic as Covid deaths in the U.S. climb, yet again, to more than 1,000 a day. “I think we’re going to see death numbers climb even higher in the next couple weeks, but I’m hoping big outbreak states like Florida, Louisiana -- they’re at their peak and they may be coming down,” Jha said on “The News with Shepard Smith.” “Let’s hope so.” (DeCiccio, 8/23)

Modern Healthcare: Preventable COVID-19 Hospitalizations Cost $2.3 Billion In June And July
About 113,000 Americans could've avoided the hospital in June and July if they received a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new study. Instead, they got sick enough to be admitted—at an estimated direct cost of $2.3 billion. More than 98% of people hospitalized with a COVID-19 diagnosis between May and July 2021 were unvaccinated, the Kaiser Family Foundation reports in a research brief published Friday. While not all hospitalizations would've been stopped by the vaccine, the report estimates that 113,000 of the 185,000 inpatient stays with a COVID-19 diagnosis in June and July were preventable. (Kacik, 8/23)

In news on Dr. Anthony Fauci —

Axios: Fauci: U.S. Can Return To Normal In Spring 2022 If Vaccinations Rise 
NIAID director Anthony Fauci told CNN Monday the U.S. could "start getting back to a degree of normality" by next spring if more Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19. "There's no guarantee, because it's up to us," Fauci said in his interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, noting that another variant could emerge unless the current surge is brought under control. (Falconer, 8/24)

Fox News: Fauci Says He Misspoke On When He Believes US Could Get COVID Under Control
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top disease expert in the U.S., said in an interview Monday that he misspoke when he said the country may get the virus under control by fall 2022—another full year. Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN the error occurred during an earlier interview with NPR. Fauci apologized and said he listened to the interview. He tried to clarify and said if more Americans sign up to take the vaccines – as well as those who have already recovered from the virus--the country could get "some good control in the spring." (DeMarche, 8/24)

In surges around the US —

The New York Times: Carnival Cruise Passenger Dies Of Covid Amid Uptick In Cases
As the highly contagious Delta variant surges across the world, the health and safety protocols established for cruise ships are being put to the test. Over two weeks in late July and early August, 27 coronavirus infections were identified aboard the Carnival Vista cruise ship sailing out of Galveston, Texas. One of those infected, a passenger, later died. It was the highest number of cases aboard a ship reported since June, when cruises restarted in the Caribbean and United States, and the first death. (Yeginsu, 8/23)

Bay Area News Group: Has Bay Area Summer COVID-19 Infection Wave Crested?
The summer spike of COVID-19 infections driven by the highly contagious delta variant may have hit its peak in the Bay Area and even California as a whole. Average daily reported new cases in the Bay Area and Los Angeles region appear to be leveling off, and a closely watched model at the University of Washington indicates the state is turning the corner away from a July surge in cases that spurred renewed mask mandates and vaccine requirements across the state. “I think for California, it really does look like we’re hitting the crest,” said Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. “Right now, I’m feeling really optimistic.” (Woolfolk and Oh, 8/23)

Houston Chronicle: Southeast Texas Surpasses 4,000 COVID Hospitalizations For The First Time
Southeast Texas on Monday surpassed 4,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations for the first time, while the number of infected people seeking care in Houston remains “frightening,” said Dr. James McDeavitt, executive vice president and dean of clinical affairs at Baylor College of Medicine. Regionally, 4,231 people were hospitalized with COVID in general beds and ICUs in the 25-county region that includes Houston, according to the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council. Hospitals in the region reported 720 patients, 107 of whom were critical, stuck in ERs waiting for a general or ICU bed. (Gill, 8/23)

Houston Chronicle: Memorial Hermann Closes 3 Standalone Emergency Rooms Due To COVID Surge
Memorial Hermann Health System announced Monday that it would be closing three of its 24-hour emergency rooms beginning at 5 p.m. until further notice, "due to the continued COVID-19 surge and its ongoing impact to our system’s operations." The affected emergency rooms are located at 4533 Kingwood Drive, Kingwood; 7474 N. Grand Parkway West, Spring,; and 8780 Texas Highway 6, Suite B, Sienna. (Umanzor Jr., 8/23)

AP: Arkansas COVID Patients On Ventilators Reaches New Record
The number of COVID-19 patients on ventilators in Arkansas reached a new high on Monday as Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he hoped the full approval of Pfizer’s vaccine would encourage more people in the state to get the shots against the virus. The Department of Health said the number of virus patients on ventilators rose by 12 to 349, surpassing the previous high reached Saturday. The number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital increased by 42 to 1,411. (DeMillo, 8/24)

AP: Governor: Now Is Not A Good Time To Travel To Hawaii
Hawaii’s governor asked Monday that visitors and residents reduce travel to the islands to essential business only while the state struggles to control COVID-19 as the highly contagious delta variant spreads in the community. Gov. David Ige wants to curtail travel to Hawaii through the end of October. “It is a risky time to be traveling right now,” he said. He said restaurant capacity has been restricted and there’s limited access to rental cars. (8/24)

AP: Dozens Test Positive For COVID-19 At Pierce County Jail
Up to 35 inmates at the Pierce County Jail have tested positive for COVID-19.The News Tribune reports over the last few days inmates reported feeling ill and were tested at the jail’s health clinic. By Sunday, 25 to 35 COVID tests came back positive. More tests are pending. Following a protocol developed last year, jail officials immediately put roughly 180 inmates in quarantine. That’s about one third of the jail’s population, which numbered 548 Sunday. (8/24)

AP: Oregon, Once A Virus Success Story, Struggles With Surge
Oregon was once the poster child for limiting the spread of the coronavirus, after its Democratic governor imposed some of the nation’s strictest safety measures, including mask mandates indoors and outdoors, limits on gatherings and an order closing restaurants. But now the state is being hammered by the super-transmissible delta variant, and hospitals are getting stretched to the breaking point. The vast majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated. (Selsky and Cline, 8/24)

Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky COVID Numbers: 3 Records For Hospitalizations Break Same Day
Kentucky set an alarming trio of records in the COVID-19 pandemic Monday, Gov. Andy Beshear said during a press conference in Frankfort. He reported 1,893 Kentuckians were in hospitals across the state battling COVID-19 on Monday, a record. The state also set records for Kentuckians on ventilators (301) and in intensive care units (529) Monday, with Beshear saying the state's spike is going "from alarming to a critical stage." (Ladd, 8/23)

Bangor Daily News: COVID-19 Hospitalizations In Maine Surge To Highest Level In 3 Months
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Maine increased by 66 percent over the past week to their highest level since mid-May, with unvaccinated patients continuing to make up a wide majority of those admitted to hospitals. The sharp rise reflects the wide reach of the virus within Maine with the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. As of Saturday, 123 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 here, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, up from just 74 a week prior and 25 a month ago. Nearly half of currently hospitalized patients are in critical care beds, while one-fifth are on a ventilator, according to state data. (Piper, 8/23)

Dallas Morning News: ‘Dramatic’ Rise In COVID-19 Hospitalizations Is Predicted To Surpass Dallas-Fort Worth’s Winter Peak
The already high number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 in North Texas is expected to rise “dramatically” in the coming weeks as the delta variant of the coronavirus spreads nearly unchecked through the region’s unvaccinated residents. The latest model from forecasters at UT Southwestern Medical Center shows that hospitalizations for the virus in Dallas and Tarrant counties could eclipse their winter peaks by early September. Dallas County is predicted to have 1,500 or more hospitalizations by Sept. 9, along with 1,600 new cases each day. The same model shows 1,900 hospitalizations and 1,700 daily cases in Tarrant County on the same date. (Steele, 8/23)

Also —

AP: Data Breach Exposes Student Requests For Vaccine Exemptions
Personal information from students at a California college who requested a religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine has been posted online after an apparent data breach. The records from about 130 students at California State University, Chico were dumped on an anonymous internet message board, the Sacramento Bee reported Monday. (8/23)

Albany Herald: Georgia Nursing Homes Cite Significant Occupancy Reduction During Pandemic, Seeking Federal COVID-19 Relief 
Georgia’s nursing homes are looking for a share of the $4.8 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds headed to the Peach State. The Georgia Health Care Association submitted a request Monday for $347 million from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Congress passed last spring for nursing homes, citing a significant decline in nursing home occupancy during the pandemic. Statewide, nursing home occupancy fell from 84.5% in December 2019 to 69.6% in February 2021 before rebounding slightly to 72.2% last month. However, 27.7% of nursing homes have occupancies at or below 64%. (Williams, 8/23)

Health News Florida: Woman In Viral Photo Feeling Better After Antibody Treatment In Jax
The woman seen in a viral photo lying down at a Jacksonville clinic for COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy is feeling better and crediting the treatment for keeping her out of the hospital. “Had I not received that therapy, I would be willing to bet anything I would be hospitalized right now,” Toma Dean said. Dean, 39, is speaking out so that people who get infected will know about this treatment and seek it out before things get any worse. (Schwartz, 8/23)