Disasters in Slow Motion (pt. 16) - Jul 9, 2020

 

July 9 (11:00 GMT) - Actual Numbers vs. June 30 (14:08 GMT)
Worldwide Cases: 12,196,180 (+ 1,745,973)
Worldwide Deaths: 552,771 (+43,529)
Worldwide Mortality Rate: 4.53% (-0.34%)
Worldwide Mortality Rate (without US): 4.62% (-0.27%)
US Cases: 3,159,514 (+475,606)
US Deaths: 134,873 (+6,031)
US Mortality Rate: 4.26% (-0.54%)
US Total Recovered: 1,393,256 (+270,658)
Florida/Collier Cases: 223,783 / 5,433
Florida/Collier Deaths: 3,890 / 85
Florida/Collier Mortality Rate: 1.73% / 1.56%

Florida is now the global epicenter for Covid-19.

Think on that for a moment. Florida is the epicenter of Covid-19 worldwide, and our Governor has essentially abandoned us in his rush to gain the praise of impeached President Trump. Our schools are to be forced to open and, while teachers are being asked to sign waivers to show that they are working voluntarily - teachers in Florida are forbidden to strike. There is nothing “voluntary” about it. Theme parks are opening up, as if many people from outside Florida will be visiting.

Yesterday, we had 9,989 new confirmed cases in Florida, and 49 deaths. Statewide we have an 8.1% infection rate and, in places like Miami-Dade county, as high as 13.8%. Those numbers are the current averages, not the infection numbers by day - which get into the low 20%-range.

This is terrifying.

Flat out, our government on the State and Federal level have abandoned us in their pursuit of money, power, and mutual approval. With everything going on, I’ve added a Florida section to the stats I’m tracking above. Yes, it means that the intro is getting longer, but that information shows what is really going on closer to home for me. Here in Collier County the numbers SOUND better, simply because they are lower. 5,433 cases and 85 deaths with a mortality rate of 1.5% is at least comforting, but our known infection rate is 13.7%. When one couples that with the fact that it is known that Florida is fudging the numbers (my doctor’s office alone is performing 100 tests a day and yet county-wide we have supposedly tested less than 39,000 people), that infection rate looks troubling and that mortality rate looks false.

Granted, I hope that the mortality rate is true, that would be the first good news I’ve seen...but statewide, hospitals are running out of space. Statewide ICU availability is down to 15%, with a number of hospitals already full.

When they run out of space, the dying will truly begin in earnest.

I’ve seen reports that the death rate appears to be going down and whether or not it will last. It seems to be a number of factors, including better testing providing earlier detection and better care. Also, we’ve known that the mortality numbers were going to come down, and they are - which is good. That said, the numbers as they stand today are still terrifying here in Florida, especially in light of our Governor’s “damn the torpedoes and full steam ahead” attitude.