{"id":13729,"date":"2022-08-03T06:39:59","date_gmt":"2022-08-03T13:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=13729"},"modified":"2022-08-07T06:44:01","modified_gmt":"2022-08-07T13:44:01","slug":"us-stuck-in-a-horrible-plateau-of-covid-19-deaths-experts-say-heres-why-usa-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=13729","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;US stuck in a &#8216;horrible plateau&#8217; of COVID-19 deaths, experts say. Here&#8217;s why&#8221;, USA Today"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Adrianna Rodriguez, August 3, 2022<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;COVID is over&#8221; might trend within social media circles, but weekly U.S. death tolls tell a different story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The pace of COVID-19 deaths has remained relatively steady since May, despite an uptick in July to\u00a0about 400 a day, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cWe\u2019re sitting on this horrible plateau,\u201d said Dr. Daniel Griffin, an infectious disease specialist with Pro Health Care in New York and a clinical instructor of medicine at Columbia University. \u201cIt\u2019s been this way for the past couple of months, and we\u2019re getting used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">In July, more than\u00a012,500 Americans died of COVID-19, according to the USA TODAY analysis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Coronavirus deaths are similar to the number of\u00a0influenza deaths normally reported during peak season, said\u00a0David Dowdy, epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A bad flu season in the USA could see\u00a0more than\u00a050,000 deaths.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">That doesn\u2019t mean COVID-19 mortality\u00a0has\u00a0reached that of flu, he said, as peak flu season lasts only about three months. Spread over the course of the year, Dowdy said, there would be about four times as many COVID-19 deaths than flu deaths.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">COVID-19 is \u201clike having to live in flu season year round, and that\u2019s not what we do with the flu,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we had to do that with the flu, we\u2019d be instituting more measures than what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_cp\" data-c-cta=\"DIG DEEPER\">\n<div class=\"gnt_em_cp_cw\">\n<div class=\"gnt_em_cp_tw\"><a class=\"gnt_em_cp_cw_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/health\/2022\/08\/03\/covid-deaths-us-stuck-horrible-plateau-experts-say-heres-why\/10202358002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":embed (content package)|e|inline click|${u}\">US stuck in a &#8216;horrible plateau&#8217; of COVID-19 deaths, experts say<\/a><a class=\"gnt_em_cp_cw_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/investigations\/2022\/08\/04\/nursing-home-jobs-workers-quit-pay-covid-outbreaks\/10219487002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":embed (content package)|e|inline click|${u}\">&#8216;Permanent shock&#8217; to nursing homes? COVID&#8217;s lasting impact on facility staffs<\/a><a class=\"gnt_em_cp_cw_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2022\/08\/01\/bidens-rebound-covid-not-common-but-not-serious-white-house-says\/10202720002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":embed (content package)|e|inline click|${u}\">What to know about Biden&#8217;s rebound COVID<\/a><a class=\"gnt_em_cp_cw_a\" href=\"https:\/\/static.usatoday.com\/mobile-apps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":embed (content package)|e|inline click|${u}\">Get the latest news straight to your phone: Download the USA TODAY app<\/a><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_cp_cw_i\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/5c8bf163d61d56de560dacb3f845b9116f1adc6e\/c=118-0-2003-1414\/local\/-\/media\/2022\/03\/25\/USATODAY\/usatsports\/gettyimages-1255592762.jpg?width=258&amp;height=193&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/5c8bf163d61d56de560dacb3f845b9116f1adc6e\/c=118-0-2003-1414\/local\/-\/media\/2022\/03\/25\/USATODAY\/usatsports\/gettyimages-1255592762.jpg?width=516&amp;height=386&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" \/><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Most Americans who died\u00a0of COVID-19 were immunocompromised or older than 75, experts said. These patients ranged in vaccination status \u2013 from being\u00a0unvaccinated to receiving all their recommended vaccines and boosters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">What appears\u00a0to make the biggest difference between patients who recover from COVID-19 or die, Griffin said, is whether they receive\u00a0treatment within the first week of diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI can\u2019t remember someone in my recent memory who did all the right things, who got the vaccine and got the proper early treatment, and ended up in the hospital and died,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The antiviral Paxlovid, from Pfizer, has been effective at keeping high-risk COVID-19 patients out of the hospital. But it\u2019s losing esteem among providers and patients as public figures report rebound infections after taking the antiviral, Griffin said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2022\/08\/01\/bidens-rebound-covid-not-common-but-not-serious-white-house-says\/10202720002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">President Joe Biden, 79,\u00a0tested positive for the coronavirus Saturday,<\/a> three days after he\u00a0twice tested negative and was thought to have recovered. His chief medical adviser,\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/nation\/2022\/06\/15\/anthony-fauci-tests-positive-covid-19-experiencing-mild-symptoms\/7638084001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">Dr. Anthony Fauci, 81, reported a rebound infection in June.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">What we know:<\/strong><a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2022\/08\/01\/bidens-rebound-covid-not-common-but-not-serious-white-house-says\/10202720002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|spike click:17|${u}\">Biden&#8217;s &#8216;rebound&#8217; COVID-19 not common but not serious, White House says<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">CDC guidance:<\/strong><a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/health\/2022\/05\/25\/rebound-covid-after-paxlovid-calls-5-days-isolation-cdc-says\/9909593002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|spike click:18|${u}\">People treated with Paxlovid who get rebound COVID-19 should isolate again for 5 days<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Although it appears more rebound infections\u00a0are reported, Dr. Ashish Jha, the\u00a0White House&#8217;s COVID-19 response coordinator,\u00a0said the rate of cases is probably about 5%. Most people aren\u2019t tested as often as health officials, <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AshishKJha46\/status\/1553852959951298560\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">Jha said in a series of tweets Monday.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">It\u2019s not clear whether a rebound after taking the antiviral is different from a rebound without the drug. In the trial that led to Paxlovid\u2019s authorization, 2% of those who took the medication and nearly the same percentage of those who didn\u2019t experienced rebounds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The uncertainty surrounding antivirals and other COVID-19 treatments may contribute to preventable deaths, Griffin said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cA lot of clinicians are reading the popular press, and that\u2019s where they\u2019re getting their impression of things,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have a five-day opportunity to reduce the disease progression, and once that window is closed, it\u2019s closed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/health\/2022\/01\/27\/omicron-variant-fda-monoclonal-antibodies-covid\/9211114002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">A monoclonal antibody called Evusheld<\/a><a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/health\/2022\/01\/27\/omicron-variant-fda-monoclonal-antibodies-covid\/9211114002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\"> from<\/a><a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/health\/2022\/01\/27\/omicron-variant-fda-monoclonal-antibodies-covid\/9211114002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">AstraZeneca<\/a> prevented severe disease in people with weakened immune systems\u00a0who may not get full protection from vaccines. It provides long-lasting protection, but Griffin said some providers don\u2019t recommend it to eligible patients.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el\">\n<div class=\"gnt_em_vp_w\" data-g-r=\"vp_tp\" data-c-vt=\"teal\" data-t-pl=\"teal-storyinline\"><button class=\"gnt_em_vp_a gnt_em_vp__tp_a\" data-g-r=\"vp_tg\" data-c-vpattrs=\"{&quot;muted&quot;:false,&quot;xprp&quot;:1,&quot;bContent&quot;:false,&quot;an&quot;:&quot;usatoday&quot;,&quot;pn&quot;:&quot;USA TODAY&quot;,&quot;vidNum&quot;:2}\" data-c-vpdata=\"{&quot;adsEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;awsPath&quot;:&quot;news&quot;,&quot;byline&quot;:&quot;Patrick Colson-Price&quot;,&quot;canonicalURL&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;contentSourceCode&quot;:&quot;USAT&quot;,&quot;createDate&quot;:&quot;2022-07-31T15:46:41Z&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Patrick Colson-Price, USA TODAY&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:36000,&quot;headline&quot;:&quot;President Biden showing 'no symptoms' after testing positive again for COVID-19&quot;,&quot;hlsURL&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/hlsmedia.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/video-renditions\/5f497012-a99a-4019-b498-32d74c04dbf2\/1c25075b-be68-4ee5-ba8f-7a6035aa843f\/1080p_30fps,720p_30fps,480p_30fps,master.m3u8?subtitles=10196064002&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;10196064002&quot;,&quot;image&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/07\/31\/USAT\/988724ca-f62e-4eee-ab30-1f420b50c9ee-AFP_AFP_32FQ64M.jpg&quot;,&quot;opto&quot;:true},&quot;initialPublishDate&quot;:&quot;2022-07-31T15:46:41Z&quot;,&quot;keywords&quot;:&quot;Joe Biden,Coronavirus COVID-19&quot;,&quot;mp4URL&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/downloadmedia.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/video-renditions\/5f497012-a99a-4019-b498-32d74c04dbf2\/1c25075b-be68-4ee5-ba8f-7a6035aa843f\/1080p_30fps.mp4&quot;,&quot;origin&quot;:&quot;USA TODAY&quot;,&quot;pageURL&quot;:{&quot;long&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/videos\/news\/2022\/07\/31\/president-biden-tests-positive-again-covid-19-rebound-case\/10196064002\/&quot;},&quot;promoBrief&quot;:&quot;President Joe Biden has tested positive again for COVID-19 as doctors say the result is due to a \\&quot;rebound\\&quot; case with the virus.&quot;,&quot;propertyName&quot;:&quot;USATODAY&quot;,&quot;publishDate&quot;:&quot;2022-07-31T19:16:18Z&quot;,&quot;series&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;ssts&quot;:{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;news&quot;,&quot;subsection&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;topic&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;subtopic&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;tags&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;bce3c45f-197d-4845-8248-87d4f3a737c8&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Joe Biden&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;3cf746dc-de06-4d2f-be6c-aa7f4e34936e&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Coronavirus COVID-19&quot;}],&quot;title&quot;:&quot;President Biden tests positive again for COVID-19 in 'rebound' case&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;\/videos\/news\/2022\/07\/31\/president-biden-tests-positive-again-covid-19-rebound-case\/10196064002\/&quot;}\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_vp_img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/07\/31\/USAT\/988724ca-f62e-4eee-ab30-1f420b50c9ee-AFP_AFP_32FQ64M.jpg?width=660&amp;height=371&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/07\/31\/USAT\/988724ca-f62e-4eee-ab30-1f420b50c9ee-AFP_AFP_32FQ64M.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=742&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" alt=\"\" data-g-r=\"lazy vp_po\" \/><\/button><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cIt\u2019s not an easy lift,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t just write a prescription. It\u2019s still only being sent to certain places, and there\u2019s a whole process for getting your patient enrolled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Some physicians consider it \u201can uncompensated and time-consuming lift,\u201d he said,\u00a0and prescribe other medications that aren\u2019t suitable for early treatment, such as high-dose steroids.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Nearly\u00a092% of Americans over 65 are fully vaccinated, and about 70% have received at least one booster, <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#vaccinations_vacc-people-additional-dose-totalpop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>. <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/health\/2022\/06\/28\/fall-covid-vaccine-omicron-variant-fda-panel\/7721659001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">Reformulated COVID-19 booster shots targeting the omicron variant<\/a>\u00a0of the coronavirus are likely this fall, but health experts don\u2019t expect they\u2019ll have a significant impact on the death rate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThe vaccines we already have are still highly effective against serious illness and deaths \u2026 so\u00a0I don\u2019t think the bivalent vaccines are going to be a game changer in that regard,\u201d Dowdy\u00a0said. \u201cWhat they may do is help curb transmission somewhat because they may be more effective against infection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Experts said what will protect those at high risk of severe COVID-19 and death is staying up to date on recommended vaccines and seeking early treatment with proven therapies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThis plateau now, as horrible as it is, is unfortunately lower than it\u2019s going to be if we don\u2019t do a great job this fall with boosters and improving education about how to properly manage COVID,\u201d Griffin said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Contributing: Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY. Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.<\/em><\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"><\/aside>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Adrianna Rodriguez, August 3, 2022 &#8220;COVID is over&#8221; might trend within social media circles, but weekly U.S. death tolls tell a different story. The pace of COVID-19 deaths has remained relatively steady since May, despite an uptick in July to\u00a0about 400 a day, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. \u201cWe\u2019re [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001004,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13729"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001004"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13729"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13729\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13730,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13729\/revisions\/13730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}