COVID-19 deaths appear to be increasing, which has some institutions thinking about relaxing safety measures, but the number of deaths have increased.
The increase in death rates has some hospitals buckling under the pressure, and cold and flu season is coming.
The peak for the Delta wave was in the middle of September, when in the 13th the new daily cases reached 173,000. Today the daily average of new cases is only 73,000.
Schools and municipalities are considering getting rid of mask mandates, and one school in Massachusetts dropped it after reaching a 95% vaccination rate. While it dropped the mandate, it’s only for a three week trial period for now.
As cold weather nears, many people are expected to be stuck inside, which is where the virus spreads faster. The University of Washington has used a model to predict and increase for hospitalizations and infections in Nov.
Unvaccinated communities are still the target of the virus. Most areas are rural and in states like Alaska, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wyoming.
Alaska is in the worst shape, as debates became volatile in Anchorage over a mask mandate. Treatment of healthcare workers became hostile after that, so they aren’t speaking out like they used to.
Many of the small hospitals in these rural areas and states with low vaccination rates are just at capacity, and don’t see an end in sight.
Related: New York’s positivity rates for COVID-19 decrease, but certain counties see spikes
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