On Any Given Day Somewhere in the World Problems Are Escalating

When the pandemic started, we heard daily stories of the horror in Italy and then other countries. Not that long ago, India was ravaged with a new variant. Some countries have controlled the spread temporarily only to see it come roaring back, as the United States currently sees. The Delta variant devastated the southern states, and they survived and are thriving while northern states are ensuring the wrath of the Delta variant.

Russia & COVID-19

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/russia/ . Russia’s pandemic did not start until April 2020. Within a few weeks, over 10,000 daily new cases of COVID-19 were recorded. The new case rate gradually fell to around 5,000 new cases/day over the next three months. The winter of 2020-21 (September through March) quickly escalated new cases up to nearly 30,000/day in December.

In late March 2021, the daily case rate went below 10,000 until June, when the next surge hit. Then, into July, the new daily cases climbed up to around 25,000 per day and started gradually waning until September when the latest surge hit Russia, with the new daily cases shooting upward to over 40,000/day and still climbing.

Daily deaths from COVID-19 followed the same pattern as above by around two weeks, with the initial surge remaining below 200/day until the winter. Then, the winter surge showed triple the rate previously through December and January. After that, there was a gradual tapering to just under 600/day, and then the world fell apart for Russia.

The last week of June 2021 saw new daily cases of COVID-19 climbing to 800/day and remaining at that level until late September when the daily death rate shot upward again. The end of October has daily deaths over 1,100 and still climbing.

Current Surge

https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/virus-outbreak-russia/2021/10/31/id/1042668/ . The United States counted all deaths as COVID-19 deaths when a person had coronavirus when they died whether it was the cause of death or not. A person could be brought to an emergency room directly from an automobile accident and die of injuries from that accident. If they tested positive for COVID-19, the death was listed as a COVID-19 death.

In Russia, a similar counting protocol exists. There is an official death count and a state statistical count (Rosstat) that vary by a large margin. My previous paragraphs describe the official death count. The unofficial state statistical death count shows nearly 45,000 daily deaths from COVID-19.

The unofficial count has a similar philosophy as the United States counting system – died with the virus and not necessarily the real cause of death. The official death rate has the underlying cause of death from the virus.

Russian COVID-19 Vaccine

https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n743 . In August of 2020, Russia was the first country to develop, approve, and distribute a vaccine (Sputnik V) to counter COVID-19. Sputnik V uses two adenovirus vectors (rAd26 and rAd5) combined with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and administered three weeks apart. Vaccines from other countries are not approved for use in Russia.

Russia’s Response to Current Surge

https://carnegieendowment.org/2021/10/28/russia-s-response-to-its-spiraling-covid-19-crisis-is-too-little-too-late-pub-85677 , Lockdowns are returning to Moscow and Saint Petersburg from the end of October through November 7th. Russian President, Vladimir Putin, approved a weeklong paid holiday to cover this crisis period. Roughly one-third of Russians are vaccinated despite having the first COVID-19 vaccine available. Public concern about safety and efficacy are the main reasons why over half their citizens have not been vaccinated.

In late October, orders were issued to speed up coronavirus testing across the country. Other measures to reduce the spread of the virus were also implemented – hours of operation, crowd size, stricter isolation, etc. Two paid days off were also offered as an incentive to get vaccinated.

Over one-quarter of a million hospital beds designated for COVID-19 patients are occupied. Many front-line healthcare workers, nurses, and doctors have not accepted the vaccine. Retired doctors are being recalled to assist with the current surge.

Conclusion

Russia has internal problems, as most countries do. Distrust and reluctance have probably opened the door for the current surge to escalate. Regardless, it is getting worse daily. Not allowing foreign-made vaccines for domestic use is also a problem, maybe? Not using antivirals as India did to squash its out-of-control Delta variant explosion, again? Unfortunately, we are limited on what information comes out of Russia and how much is true.

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com

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