Category Archives: Uncategorized

Last night’s COVID-19 numbers suggest we are at a bit of a crossroads.  The rate of increase in new infections has decreased slightly nationwide, but the number of active infections remains very high. Also, while total COVID-19 numbers vary significantly across the nation, most states are seeing a fairly high level of infections.  Fortunately, comparedContinue reading “A brief update on COVID-19 numbers.”

COVID-19 infections have been up for several weeks as part of the third peak in the US; however last weekend we saw a very aggressive surge in cases. I had believed this might be related to the election as the surge was approximately four to five days after November 3rd. Last night I heard anContinue reading “Was Halloween the cause of this last spurt in COVID-19 infections?”

Like many states Michigan has had significant case growth over the past four weeks. Today, however, the trend in cases over the past seven days shows a significant decrease in most counties. Hopefully this trend will continue, especially since the Governor felt she had to restrict activities yesterday. It also raises the question what wasContinue reading “Good news: Michigan has seen a decrease in COVID-19 case growth over the past seven days.”

Please look at this current version on the website. https://pandemicpondering.com/2020/11/16/the-moderna-vaccine-is-94-5-effective-in-preventing-covid-19/

Moderna announced today that their vaccine is highly effective against COVID-19, equaling or surpassing the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine announced last week.  The results come from an interim analysis of 95 cases — 90 in the placebo group and 5 in the vaccine group. The company also disclosed that there were 11 severe casesContinue reading “The Moderna vaccine is 94.5% effective in preventing COVID-19.”

The New York times, ProPublica, and almost every media outlet had articles this week warning about problems with the distribution of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. These problems stem predominantly from the requirements to keep the vaccine at minus 70 degrees centigrade until use.  This concern is not new. The unique storage requirements for the Pfizer vaccine have beenContinue reading “Will there be problems distributing the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine?”

In every newspaper this morning there is a picture of individuals lined up waiting for COVID-19 tests. The articles talk about testing centers being “overwhelmed.” At this point in the pandemic, almost nine months in, the question should be why aren’t rapid COVID-19 diagnostic tests available for people to use at home? I’m sure someContinue reading “Why don’t we have home test kits for COVID-19?”

Some optimism for Friday the 13th! When looking at the numbers in terms of overall number of infections in the United States over the past week, it looks as if the rate of increase of new COVID-19 infections is starting to flatten. This is particularly obvious when one looks at the seven-day averages in theContinue reading “Is the third peak starting to recede?”

I took my first airplane flight in two months on Tuesday. I flew back to Detroit from Charleston SC, through Atlanta, on Delta, and recorded my somewhat random observations during the trip. Airport safety in Charleston was impressive. Lines for a luggage check in and security were well managed, and everyone wore masks. The airportContinue reading “Is airplane flight safe during COVID-19? I tested the system.”