The entire State of Pennsylvania–minus Lebanon County–spent its weekend in green.. summer weather was brutally hot.. bars were flowing with cold beverages.. Restaurants had patrons cautiously dining both inside and and out..
And then news crept into our social media feeds late week.. Texas suddenly had a problem.. So bad that they decided to re-shut bars down..
Florida was next! Bars and beaches were ordered to shut down.. the youth, it was feared, were partying hard and bringing COVID to their doorsteps…
Things looked bleaker when Disney announced their grand opening wouldn’t happen.. now the park is delayed to be opened after July 17.
Here in Pennsylvania, we felt safe yet..
After all Knoebels and Hershey Park were still planning on being open next week.. And heck, all of the counties are green except one anyway.. So we’re good. Right?
AND THEN CAME THE RED ALERTS
VIRUS OUT OF CONTROL: 'Window closing for action'...
TX GOV: Has taken very dangerous turn...
Officials Press Trump to Wear Mask...
COVID RACES THROUGH ARIZONA...
RED STATES BIG RISK...
Fears worse to come...
LOS ANGELES 'CRITICAL'...
CDC reveals three new symptoms...
Fresh Strain on Mask Supplies...
AIRBNB CEO: 'Travel will never, ever go back to the way it was'...
Brazil has record week for virus cases…
List of who’s most at risk just got longer…
‘I Woke Up Gasping For Air’: 28 Members Of Family Contract…
Public Transit Use Associated With Higher Death Rates…
New Yorkers will lose paid sick leave if they travel to states with high infections…
Half million back in lockdown as Beijing fights new cluster…
And then came the increases in cases..
And then came tonight; Allegheny County Pennsylvania
The county responded to the evident surge in cases..
Allegheny County officials announced Sunday that they will ban the on-site consumption of alcohol at bars and restaurants.
Restaurants and bars will remain open, but alcohol will be takeout only.
Nightlife and bars are being blamed for the surge..
The order is effective beginning June 30 at 5 p.m., Dr. Debra Bogen, director of the Allegheny County Health Department, said.
“As the director of the Allegheny County Health Department, it is my duty to protect the health and safety of all Allegheny County residents and while we’ve taken significant steps to track and reduce the spread of this virus, we are still seeing significant increases,” said Bogen. “We’re taking these steps today to further protect the health and safety of all residents through my authority under the Pennsylvania Disease Prevention and Control Law.”
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THE KIDS AREN’T ALRIGHT
Just days ago, it was reported that people ages 70 and older continue to remain the highest risk category for deaths due to COVID.. but the CDC increased odds of the once 30 somethings’ chances of getting seriously sick or dead..
Data published last week in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report revealed that the median age of Americans with confirmed coronavirus cases was 48 years old. That means half of those infected were older than 48 and half were younger.
In fact, among more than 1.3 million cases reported through May 30, the incidence was higher among people in their 40s and 50s than for those in their 60s and 70s. Specifically, there were 541.6 cases per 100,000 people ages 40-49 and 550.5 cases per 100,000 people ages 50-59, compared with 478.4 cases per 100,000 people ages 60-69 and 464.2 cases per 100,000 people ages 70-79.
The response to the YOUTHFUL turn of cases has caused several places to put the brakes in the alcohol-infused indiscretions.
Not only bars in Texas and Florida, and now the Pittsburgh PA area, but also beaches in Miama as the Fourth of July is on the way:
“President Trump wanted us to be here today with the developments over the last two weeks with the rising positivity and the rising number of cases with a very simple message and that is to use people of Texas: We’re with you,” Vice President said as he visited the state.. Before Pence spoke after meeting with state officials, Abbott gave a somber assessment of the spread of COVID-19 in Texas.
“We need to understand that COVID-19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in Texas over just the past few weeks,” he said. Pence noted that about two weeks ago something changed, but said that he believed it was not the reopening, but the behavior of people not wearing masks or social distancing.
HOPE IN THE VACCINE?
Dr. Anthony Fauci says he would “settle” for a Covid-19 vaccine that’s 70% to 75% effective, but that this incomplete protection, coupled with the fact that many Americans say they won’t get a coronavirus vaccine, makes it “unlikely” that the US will achieve sufficient levels of immunity to quell the outbreak.
With government support, three coronavirus vaccines are expected to be studied in large-scale clinical trials in the next three months.“The best we’ve ever done is measles, which is 97 to 98 percent effective,” said Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “That would be wonderful if we get there. I don’t think we will. I would settle for [a] 70, 75% effective vaccine.”
