Fauci yesterday spelled out a goal for the US to meet to be on its way to being free of COVID:
At this rate, Tennessee alone is putting us over the target value – 11,055 cases reported for a single day (on average)
It took 3 months last year. I do believe it will be faster this year thanks to Delta, but we’re still less than 4 weeks away from the end of Sturgis. I suspect it’ll be more noticeable in the next 3-4 weeks.
The lack of ER resources has me not going mtn biking this weekend. The smoke has finally let up some, the temps have merciful dropped, but I don’t want to risk needing to go to the ER because I break my collar bone (I go so much slower these days anyway that my risk is going down). Well, we got a new puppy so it’ll be hiking instead so I guess that part is OK 
A-HEM!
<ThelmaLou peers over the top of her glasses>
And where are the pictures of this alleged small canine??
Please get busy taking pictures and post them here so we can all oooo and ahhh. I seriously need something to oooo and ahhh at this morning. Thank you.
Well, I wouldn’t call him “small”. He’s a 10 month old pointer puppy so he is a big puppy. He’s also impossible to get decent pictures of - he never stops moving. I’ll try this weekend!
That excuse will not fly with this crowd.
See that you do. 
<ThelmaLou makes a note on her clipboard.>
BTW, what is this hypothetical dog’s name?
Video. Now.
We are OK with pics of sleeping animals too.
I continue to be very disheartened at the situation in Memphis. I had really thought we would do better than the rest of Tennessee, being a blue city in a red state. But we are just as bad as the rest of the state. We finally clawed our way to 40% fully vaccinated but have stalled there. We’ve had a couple days in the last 2 weeks with around 1100 new cases. There have been over 30 deaths in the past week. ICUs are full and elective surgeries are on hold. We do have a mask mandate in the schools (city schools, not county) and I imagine that has helped some. But we are still in a worse position than we were last winter.
224,668,798 total cases
4,631,141 dead
201,214,956 recovered
In the US:
41,741,693 total cases
677,017 dead
31,820,994 recovered
Yesterday’s numbers for comparison:
@Snowboarder_Bo Thank you for your diligent work.
In Switzerland, things are getting serious. As of Monday, certificates for being vaccinated, tested or recovered, are required for restaurants, fitness centers, museums, etc.
This was announced on Wednesday, and suddently there are a lot of people signing up for vaccines. Because, as of October 28th, they have to pay for their own Covid tests, if they do not have symptoms.
More numbers, but only in German. The date says March 13, 2020, but the information is updated everyday.
52.6% fully vaccinated, with another 6% partially vaccinated. School started 3-4 weeks ago and there’s some schools which are already empty because the whole school is in quarantine.
We will probably never be ‘free’ of COVID; it seems to be an endemic disease at this point, similar to influenza or the common cold. Over time, it will hopefully evolve to be less lethal, as people will have gradually established enough antibodies to have at least partial immunity, which can be boosted through regular vaccination.
Wasn’t sure where this would best fit:
…
The country’s leaders have pointed to its high vaccination rates — among the best in the world, with nearly 75 percent of residents fully immunized — as evidence that the step is justified, though they have not claimed herd immunity has been reached. Denmark also has one of Europe’s lowest levels of newly reported infections.…
Experts have noted that Danes have exhibited extraordinary willingness to receive a vaccine. One study, published in the journal Nature on Thursday and based on a global survey, found that Denmark had one of the highest rates of respondents who said they intend to get vaccinated.
Other research has attributed this vaccine acceptance to a high level of trust in public institutions. Michael Bang Petersen, a researcher at Aarhus University who has studied trust and vaccination, and advised the Danish government, said this dynamic is responsible for Denmark’s progress.
…
My bold.
In our dreams…
Not quite breaking as it was reported a week ago, but still pertinent especially since we all missed it and the news is rather damning.
“Texas schools have amassed more than 50,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in students in just a couple of weeks. The state is a leader in child deaths from COVID-19 with 59 as of Sept. 3.” – Houston Public Media (tweet)
225,119,797 total cases
4,638,720 dead
201,664,360 recovered
In the US:
41,816,668 total cases
677,737 dead
31,857,877 recovered
Yesterday’s numbers for comparison:
China:
Anyone who needs to leave Putian, a city of 2.9 million people in Fujian province south of Shanghai, for an essential trip must have proof of a negative coronavirus test within the past 48 hours, the city government announced.