The other crisis: As Trump incites insurrection in Washington, COVID-19 rampages everywhere

Numbers at the COVID Tracking Project are a little different … but not particularly better. They also have the nation with record levels of new cases, record levels of daily deaths, and a level of testing still far below where it was before the holidays. But most of all, they show coronavirus-related hospitalizations continuing to go up at an almost unbelievable rate. States from Alabama to Wisconsin are at record levels of hospitalization … and there aren’t many exceptions in that sequence. 

It’s difficult to single out a specific “hot spot” in a nation that’s at red-hot levels of disease almost everywhere. However, two of the states that were hit hard in the summer, Texas and Arizona, are again shuffling to the front by almost any statistic. ABC News calls Arizona the “hottest hot spot” as the almost 10,000 new cases and 300 deaths there on Thursday are terrifying on a national level. But it’s more than just a bad day for the state.

“The state currently has the highest seven-day average of COVID-19 infections per capita of any region in the world, based on Johns Hopkins University data.”

Where possible, it’s infinitely better to assist patients in breathing by providing an enriched level of oxygen rather than through intubation. Intubation is horrifying, debilitating, and difficult to maintain for an extended period without causing damage to the patient. It’s also much more difficult than giving assistance through oxygen. 

Arizona may be topping world charts, but it’s not just the United States being hit by the latest surge. Hospitals are full across the nation of Lebanon. The fast-spreading new variant continues to literally plague London. 

Meanwhile, distribution of vaccine continues to lag. As The New York Times reports, small numbers of doses have been thrown away several times as vaccination programs haven’t been able to unite vaccine with those who need it. Hundreds of doses have been unused in freezers even as front-line workers and elderly patients go without. Much of the confusion comes from a single reason: Without federal guidelines on how the vaccine should be distributed, the rules have come down to states, counties, and cities—some of which have set conflicting regulations. 

There has been some good news. Pfizer has indicated that their vaccine appears to be effective against the new fast-spreading U.K. variant. This likely also applies to the Moderna vaccine, which targets the same spike protein.

But the urgency of getting vaccines out and getting the virus load down is being made ever more critical as variants appear. Laboratory studies have already shown that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can continue to spread, and perhaps spread more effectively, even if the spike protein is altered so much that current vaccines no longer work. Another new, more contagious strain is spreading in—and from—South Africa.

In the last week, a coronavirus task force report warns that there may be another fast-spreading strain … in the United States. And that report makes it clear that vaccines need to be given now rather than later.

“Do not delay the rapid immunization of those over 65 and vulnerable to severe disease; recommend creation of high throughput vaccination sites with use of EMT personnel to monitor for potential anaphylaxis and fully utilize nursing students. No vaccines should be in freezers but should instead be put in arms now; active and aggressive immunization in the face of this surge would save lives.”