Are the up-rise in numbers due to early re-openings?

COVID-19 came at us out of left field and threw us the biggest curve-ball of our lifetime. Our governors followed the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations and issued the stay-at-home mandates along with the calls to social distance. Many persons followed the orders and stayed put in their homes. Others did not.

As a healthcare worker there was hardly any opportunity to be furloughed or to social distance. My position is essential in nature. On the few times I have gone to the store, I have seen many people without masks or the adults were wearing masks and the kids were without. Or one adult with a mask and another without. As we later learned the asymptomatic carriers were able to spread the virus with showing any signs of illness themselves. Currently that seems open to debate. But I surmise that if asymptomatic carriers are shedding the virus during respiration then it can and is able to spread.

So the state of Texas was one of the first ones to reopen. When the idea was first proposed we, the healthcare workers along with many others thought what a bad idea that was. While we understood the economic reasons, we realized that more than likely we would see a rise in the number of cases.

While the call to social distance and stay at home were in place, many were NOT following the mandate and so those “rogue” members of society would increase exponentially once the states re-opened.

So on May 1st Texas began reopening in the outlined phases, and its descent into “the rise of COVID-19” began.

We are currently at a 25% increase and our numbers are rapidly increasing. We are set to open bars, restaurants and parks by 50%, which will have a greater capacity of persons occupying the same spaces.

According to reported data from John Hopkins University, as of June 7th there are 75,616 reported cases, 50,439 have recovered, 18,036 lost heir lives and 23,341 current active cases. The majority of infections affecting all age groups but the largest groups are between the ages of 20–59 years.

Late last week the state began to record its highest increase since the pandemic began. The Texas State Health Services Department reported an increase in COVID-19 related hospitalizations.

In Atlanta, Georgia, another early opener cases remained steady then began rising again. Yesterday June 11, there have seen an increase of nearly 1,000 new COVID-19 cases. The Department of Public Health is now reporting 54,973 total cases in our state with an average number of new daily reported cases of 726.

As of June 11, 2020 — 112,924 persons have lost their lives to COVID-19. More than two million are infected in the US. Houston is currently said to be leading the COVID uptake in the state of Texas since its reopening and may be consider promptly backtracking into the “stay at home “ order as hospitals are nearing capacity.

Few other states, like Arizona and North Carolina are seeing their cases rise. Nashville Tennessee is considering delaying their next reopening phase due to see an increase in their cases. According to Johns Hopkins University, cases in Arizona have nearly doubled since Memorial Day.

New York began the first phase of its reopening earlier this week and I am curious to see how that goes. Governor Cuomo however seems prepared to protect his state for any length of time necessary. But that protection cannot last indefinitely.

What are we to glean from the current steady rise in the states that reopened early? It seems that the curve is not flattening as hoped but is on the upward climb.I attribute this as a direct result to non-compliance, more persons out and about. The protesting and rally’s without masks will not help matters any. It remains a game of wait and see, but for now officials are mostly skirting the issue and we are left to make our own conclusions…

UPDATE 06/25/2020!

I wrote this piece earlier in the month, at the time I was attempting to look ahead at the consequences of what was happening in our world.

Today June 25, 2020. Texas has shown itself to be among the elite when it comes to the matter of COVID-19. Some residents of the state, (I live here as well), have largely been non-compliant when it comes to wearing masks and to continue social distancing! Texans are showing up everywhere without a mask, congregating with each other at bars, restaurants, parties and beaches to name a few.

Now the consequences are making themselves felt:

• Texas had for the fifth straight day recorded an increase in the number of infected!

• 131,917 confirmed cases, 2,296 deaths.

• 55,125 active cases, 74,496 persons recovered so far.

• Houston is laboring under the weight of new COVID-19 patients.

We must remain vigilant, my better half as a nurse himself remains in New York completing his stint on the front-line for COVID and has seen many horrors, I hope most of us will never experience.