Tragic Covid Benchmarks: 650,000 Dead In US; More 2021 Cases Than All Of 2020

USA Today: U.S. Surpasses Infection Total From 2020
On the same day the U.S. reached 650,000 COVID-19 deaths -- the world's highest reported total -- the country also registered more cases in 2021 than the previous year. The U.S. had logged nearly 20,146,000 coronavirus cases this year by 7:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, surpassing the 2020 total of 20,100,249, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The latter figure comes with a couple of caveats: No major outbreaks were detected in the U.S. until March 2020, and testing for the virus was quite limited at that time and for the first several weeks of the pandemic. Therefore, the true number of infections in 2020 will never be known. (Ortiz, Bacon and Hayes, 9/7)

CIDRAP: US COVID-19 Cases Top 40 Million; Biden To Deliver New Plan
In 2 days President Joe Biden will announce a new six-point plan to battle the current surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the highly transmissible Delta (B1617.2) variant and an uneven vaccination campaign that has left only half of the nation fully protected from the novel coronavirus. The speech will come as America faces two milestones: Over the holiday weekend, the country topped 40 million cases of the virus, the largest tally in the world, and the number of hospitalized Americans is now double what it was last Labor Day. Yesterday, almost 100,000 (99,823) Americans were in hospitals because of COVID-19 infections. (Soucheray, 9/7)

The mu variant has been found in almost every state —

Fox News: COVID-19 Variant Mu Detected In 49 States
The mu coronavirus variant has been detected in 49 states and 42 countries, according to estimates, as health officials keep an eye on the strain to see if it becomes dominant. The strain, also known as B.1.621, was first identified in Colombia in January and was added to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) "variants of interest" list, however 49 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have since detected the mu variant, with the exception of Nebraska, according to estimates compiled by Outbreak.info. States with a higher estimated prevalence of the variant include Alaska and Hawaii, though nationwide the variant has been detected in less than 1% of samples. (Rivas, 9/7)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: What To Know About Mu, The Latest Coronavirus Variant In Missouri
Officials who monitor Missouri’s wastewater, which can give the first hints of emerging variants of the coronavirus, say they’ve detected the presence of the mu variant in only a handful of samples — and none recently. The World Health Organization last week named mu and classified it as a “variant of interest.” It’s the fifth coronavirus variant the organization is monitoring. Preliminary evidence suggests it has the potential to partially evade protection from vaccination. Since being discovered in Colombia in January, the mu variant has spread to nearly four dozen countries. In the U.S., nearly 5,300 cases have been reported in every state except Nebraska. (Munz, 9/7)

In other news about the spread of the coronavirus —

Bangor Daily News: This Herb Used To Make Absinthe Will Not Cure Your COVID-19
Last month the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning not to use the common livestock antiparasitic ivermectin to treat COVID-19. Now it appears people may be turning to a botanical alternative. Wormwood, which grows in Maine and is used to make absinthe, is classified as an unsafe herb by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because it contains the chemical thujone. The chemical has the potential to harm brain, kidney and liver cells or cause convulsions if taken in too high a dose. (Bayly, 9/8)

Houston Chronicle: COVID Patient Dies At Memorial Hermann During Family's Legal Push For Ivermectin Treatment
A 74-year-old COVID-19 patient died Monday at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land, relatives said, after his family took legal action to force doctors to administer his prescribed dose of the controversial anti-parasite drug ivermectin, which is not proven to treat the virus. Pete Lopez, a Vietnam War combat veteran, was the “backbone” of his family, said his granddaughter Gabrielle Snider. He raised four children as a successful business owner and was energetic in his old age, she said. (Gill, 9/7)

The Washington Post: Former NBA Star Cedric Ceballos Battling Covid-19, Asks For Prayers From ICU 
Former NBA player Cedric Ceballos asked for prayers on his behalf Tuesday as he endures a case of covid-19 that he said has led to a lengthy stay in an intensive care unit. “My fight is not done,” Ceballos, 52, wrote on Twitter. He shared a photo that showed an oxygen mask strapped to his head, and he said he was spending a 10th day in the ICU as covid was “officially kicking” his rear. A 1995 NBA all-star, Ceballos spent most of his 11-year career with the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. (Bieler, 9/7)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Without Testing, Louisiana Is In A COVID 'Black Hole.' Experts Predict An Increase In Coming Weeks
Louisiana was already battling its fourth and worst surge of the coronavirus last week as Hurricane Ida tore roofs off homes and hospitals, caused widespread power outages and devastated entire communities in some corners of the state. But with limited testing as people return from shelters and shared evacuation accommodations, there is reason to worry there could be a storm-related COVID-19 bump in the near future -- and that the state will be flying blind when it hits. (Woodruff, 9/8)

The Washington Post: In Florida, A Summer Of Death And Resistance As The Coronavirus Rampaged 
As Florida appears to be turning the corner from a coronavirus rampage that fueled record new infections, hospitalizations and deaths, its residents and leaders are surveying the damage left from more than 7,000 deaths reported since July Fourth and the scars inflicted by feuds over masks and vaccines. New infections were averaging more than 22,000 a day in the last days of August but have fallen to about 19,000. Yet recovery could prove fleeting: Holiday weekends such as Labor Day have acted as a tinderbox for earlier outbreaks, and late summer marks the return of students to college campuses. (Amrhein, Nirappil, Leone and Dupree, 9/6)

The Oregonian: OHSU Will Not Sponsor 2021 Portland Marathon Due To COVID Concerns
As the delta variant of COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on Oregon’s healthcare system, Oregon Health and Science University announced last week that it won’t sponsor the Portland Marathon this October. “Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of all Oregonians, but our ability to fulfill that mission is currently challenged by the unprecedented influx of patients severely ill with COVID-19,” the hospital said in a statement. “Our hospitals are at their fullest capacity, our members are exhausted, and we are doing everything we can to avoid adding to their burden.” (Acker, 9/7)