The number of new cases declined yesterday by more than 10% from the day before. In fact, April 13 saw the lowest number of new cases for the entire month of April. This is an acceleration of the trend towards fewer new cases since the start of the month.
Looking at the numbers by state, there were only 4 states that saw an increase in cases yesterday, and each of these four were among those states with a low incidence of the virus. In other words, places with heavier outbreaks are seeing a decline. Those with less than 2000 cases total have instances of slight increases but most of them also show declines.
Testing is approaching three million tests administered. This goes from a high of about 2.3% of residents tested in New York to much lower percentages in the states with a low incidence of the virus.
In New York, mothers admitted to NY-Presbyterian hospitals for delivery of their babies have all been tested for the last month for the virus. About one in eight of these women have tested positive for the virus, even though only about 2% had seen any symptoms from the virus. The number of asymptomatic women with the virus exceeded 10% of the more than 200 tested. This is very good news if it is indicative of the general population. It means that in New York City, for example, there could be over a million people who have already had the virus without showing any symptoms. These people can soon go back to work without worrying that they will be infected again. It also means that the number of people who die from an infection is not the 2% or so currently seen in New York, but rather something more like 0.4%. That makes the disease much less of a threat. It also means that continued extreme social distancing is not needed for those who are not in the high risk segment of the population. Older Americans and those with other health problems can continue to self isolate, but the rest of us can go back to work.
There is an urgent need for widespread testing for antibodies to determine if these small studies are presenting an accurate picture of the facts. Such studies could change everything.
Looking at the numbers by state, there were only 4 states that saw an increase in cases yesterday, and each of these four were among those states with a low incidence of the virus. In other words, places with heavier outbreaks are seeing a decline. Those with less than 2000 cases total have instances of slight increases but most of them also show declines.
Testing is approaching three million tests administered. This goes from a high of about 2.3% of residents tested in New York to much lower percentages in the states with a low incidence of the virus.
In New York, mothers admitted to NY-Presbyterian hospitals for delivery of their babies have all been tested for the last month for the virus. About one in eight of these women have tested positive for the virus, even though only about 2% had seen any symptoms from the virus. The number of asymptomatic women with the virus exceeded 10% of the more than 200 tested. This is very good news if it is indicative of the general population. It means that in New York City, for example, there could be over a million people who have already had the virus without showing any symptoms. These people can soon go back to work without worrying that they will be infected again. It also means that the number of people who die from an infection is not the 2% or so currently seen in New York, but rather something more like 0.4%. That makes the disease much less of a threat. It also means that continued extreme social distancing is not needed for those who are not in the high risk segment of the population. Older Americans and those with other health problems can continue to self isolate, but the rest of us can go back to work.
There is an urgent need for widespread testing for antibodies to determine if these small studies are presenting an accurate picture of the facts. Such studies could change everything.
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