COVID19 Update - Day 94

US Tests: 22,517,262

US Cases: 2,037,530

US Deaths: 108,554

Worldwide Cases: 7,632,377

Worldwide Deaths: 425,385

If you want a vision of what the future will be like, look to Arizona:

Since May 26, the state has seen the now all-too-familiar continual upward trend in COVID-19 cases, hitting a single-day record in case growth on Friday at 1,654 new cases in one day and with a reported total caseload increase of 76 percent since May 28.

The unhindered growth in cases has sparked concerns that the state’s hospital capacity will be overwhelmed, with major hospital networks in the state publicly saying that they could see their ICU beds full in the span of a few weeks, if case growth continues unabated.

Since the state’s stay-at-home directive ended on May 15, Arizonans have largely lived without mandates to socially distance or wear masks when in public.

“When the stay at home order ended, the governor didn’t put any criteria for enforcement, compliance, or expectations on businesses that were enforceable whatsoever,” Will Humble, director of the Arizona Public Health Association and a former head of Arizona’s Department of Health Service, told TPM.

Banner Health, a hospital chain with a large Arizona presence, said last week that its hospitals were nearing capacity. Eighty-four percent of the state’s ICU beds were occupied this week; in Phoenix, it was higher, near 90 percent.

This demonstrates two things.  First, the various measures put in place to respond to the virus --- staying at home, masking, social distancing --- were clearly effective in reducing the spread of the disease, and thus in saving lives.

Second --- many Americans would literally rather die than accept even a mild inconvenience for an extended period of time.  From the same article (emphasis mine):

State officials have taken what might be described as a hands-off approach towards the situation. State health director Cara Christ said at a Thursday press conference that “we are not going to be able to stop the spread but we can’t stop living as well.”

Governor Doug Ducey (R) has downplayed the idea that the state was nearing capacity in its hospitals, saying that “we are not in a crisis situation” and adding that field hospitals could pick up the burden.

It's going to be truly fascinating to see how bad the government in Arizona lets things get before they do anything about it.  For the sake of Arizonans, let's hope not too bad.

Meanwhile, at home in Minnesota, I went back into the office to work the past two days, because reasons.  I couldn't be in my house, and as a contract worker paid hourly, I didn't want to just forego two days of billing.  And anyway, even with things semi-open in Minnesota, there's not a lot for a person to do, anyway.  It's not like I can go to the movies, or a play, or a bar, or the gym (not that I ever go to the gym --- talk about a boring way to throw away money!).

I probably would have just sucked it up and eaten the 2 days' pay, except that essentially EVERYONE in my office is still working from home still.  So the place is basically a ghost town, and thus not a high risk environment.  Plus, even though no one is around to enforce them, we are still expected to follow proper public health protocols, like social distancing and wearing masks in common areas.

And we will continue to work from home through Labor Day, at least.