COVID 19 Update Archive For The Month Of October 2021

by Art and Maura Keene

As Of Monday, May 24, 2021 The Indy’s COVID-19 Daily Update became the COVID-19 Weekly Update. As of Wednesday July 14 ,2021 the Weekly Update moved to Wednesdays. Each Wednesday we will post the latest confirmed case counts for Coronavirus (COVID-19) for Massachusetts, for the nation and for the globe.  

Making Sense of the Numbers
Authorities caution that the confirmed case count is a substantial underestimate of the actual number of cases.  

We rely on well-vetted sources to produce our daily update and draw mostly from the following: Center for Disease Control (CDC), Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), Johns Hopkins University, Yale School of Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Washington Post, New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, STAT News, and the Twitter feeds and/or blogs of Andy Slavitt, Greg Gonsolves, Ezekiel Emanuel, Marc Lipsich, and David Wallace-Wells.

Archives
The Indy began posting COVID-19 Daily Update on March 18, 2020. Here are links to archives of previous months’ posts. March, April , May,  June,  July,  August,  September,  October,  November,  December,  January, February, March 21, April 21, May 21, June 21, July 21, August 21, September 21
,
Henceforth, numbers in parentheses will indicate increase or decrease in count from previous Wednesday.

Numbers in parentheses indicate increase since the previous week.

UPDATE WEDNESDAY October 27 as of 8 AM
Confirmed Cases in MA – 847,512 (+9,265)
Deaths: 18,956 (+92)
Confirmed Cases in Amherst –3586 (+3) Currently Active – 6 (-5)
UMass: Cumulative Positive Cases: 2565 through May 15, 2021
UMass: Cumulative Positive Cases Beginning September 1, 2021 – 557 (+10)
Amherst Public Schools Cumulative Positive Cases Beginning September 1, 2021 – 17 (+0). No new cases reported since 9/30.
Source For Amherst – Town Of Amherst Dashboard
Source For UMass UMass Dashboard
Source For Amherst Public Schools – ARPS Dashboard
Sources for Amherst Area Schools and Colleges.
Source for Massachusetts: NYT Daily Dashboard
Confirmed Cases in USA – 46,497,719 (+501,212)
Confirmed Deaths – 759,932 (+11.280)
Source: Worldometers 
Confirmed Cases Worldwide:245,435,740
Deaths: 4,982, 150 Source: Worldometers see also: Johns Hopkins University.

News:
New COVID Cases Declining In Every Region Of US
(New York Times)
FDA Recommends COVID Vaccines For Children Aged 5-11
(CNN)
Why Vaccinating Low Risk Kids Still Makes Sense
(The Week)
Scientists Are Monitoring New Strain Of Delta Variant In UK
(Boston Globe)
Three Takeaways From The Emergence Of the Delta Plus Variant
(Stat News)
The Toll Of Bolsanaro’s Disastrous COVID-19 Response
(Human Rights Watch)
Merck Strikes Deal For Global Access To Its New COVID Pill
(Al Jazeera)
Packers Lose Wide Receivers To COVID Protocols For Thursday’s Game
(EPSN)
Why, When, And How To Test At Home For COVID-19
(Time)
Should You Mix And Match Your COVID Booster?
(The Atlantic)

UPDATE WEDNESDAY October 20 as of 8 AM
Confirmed Cases in MA – 838,347 (+10,237)
Deaths: 18,864 (+82)
Confirmed Cases in Amherst –3583 (+9) Currently Active – 11 (-7)
UMass: Cumulative Positive Cases: 2565 through May 15, 2021
UMass: Cumulative Positive Cases Beginning September 1, 2021 – 547 (+15)
Amherst Public Schools Cumulative Positive Cases Beginning September 1, 2021 – 17 (+0)
Source For Amherst – Town Of Amherst Dashboard
Source For UMass UMass Dashboard
Source For Amherst Public Schools – ARPS Dashboard
Sources for Amherst Area Schools and Colleges.
Source for Massachusetts: NYT Daily Dashboard
Confirmed Cases in USA – 45,996,507 (+565,140)
Confirmed Deaths – 748,652 (+11.063)
Source: Worldometers 
Confirmed Cases Worldwide:242,484,530
Deaths: 4,931,717 Source: Worldometers see also: Johns Hopkins University.

News:
Massachusetts Reports 3,431 New Breakthrough Cases in 4.68 Million Vaccinated Individuals
(WCVB Boston)
Children Ages 5-11 Will Soon Be Able To Get COVID Vaccine White House Says
(The Guardian)
US Expected To Soon Authorize Mix And Match COVID Boosters
(AP)
Should You Mix And Match Your Booster Shot?
(The Atlantic)
FDA To Recommend PFizer, Moderna Boosters For People Aged 40 And Over
(CNN)
Will Booster Shots In USA Make It Harder To Vaccinate The Rest Of The World?
(Scientific American)
What Scientists Know About The Risk Of Death Among The Vaccinated
(New York Times)
Study Confirms KIds As Spreaders Of COVID-19 And Emerging Variants
(Harvard Gazette)
New York Mayor Announces Vaccine Mandate For All City Workers
(Washington Post)
What Five Health Experts Advise For Holiday Travel This Year
(Washington Post)
Bolsonaro’s Pandemic Response Draws Charges Of Crimes Against Humanity
(New York Times)
Putin Tells Russian Workers To Stay At Home For A Week As COVID Deaths Soar
(ABC News)

UPDATE WEDNESDAY October 13 as of 8 AM
Confirmed Cases in MA – 828,110 (+9,820).
Deaths: 18,782 (+102)
Confirmed Cases in Amherst –3574 (+19) Currently Active – 18 (-14)
UMass: Cumulative Positive Cases: 2565 through May 15, 2021
UMass: Cumulative Positive Cases Beginning September 1, 2021 – 532 (+21)
Amherst Public Schools Cumulative Positive Cases Beginning September 1, 2021 – 17 (+1)
Source For Amherst – Town Of Amherst Dashboard
Source For UMass UMass Dashboard
Source For Amherst Public Schools – ARPS Dashboard
Sources for Amherst Area Schools and Colleges.
Source for Massachusetts: NYT Daily Dashboard
Confirmed Cases in USA – 45,431,367 (+645,724)
Confirmed Deaths – 737,589 (+12,822)
Source: Worldometers 
Confirmed Cases Worldwide:239,595,363
Deaths: 4,833,911 Source: Worldometers see also: Johns Hopkins University.

News:
Massachusetts Reports 4039 New Breakthrough Cases
(WCVB Boston)
Massachusetts National Guard Activated To Help With COVID Testing In Schools
(CBS Boston)
COVID Case Counts May Be Going Down In Most Of The Country But For Children They Are Still Exceptionally High
(CNN)
The Five States Where COVID Case Counts Are Rising
(CNN)
Mothers Sue As Children Catch COVID At Wisconsin Schools With No Mandates
(The Guardian)
How The Risk Of COVID In Kids Compares To Other Dangers
(Vox)
COVID Has Killed Hundreds Of Police Officers. Many Still Resist Vaccines
(New York Times)
Texas Bans Vaccine Mandates. State Could See Fifth COVID Wave Around Holidays
(MSNBC)
Non-COVID Patients Are Paying A Price As Delta Variant And Low Vaccination Rates Overwhelm Hospitals Across The Country
(ProPublica)
Pandemic and Low Pay Blamed For Teacher Shortage In Florida
(CNN)
Medecins Sans Frontieres: 870m Vaccine Doses Being Hoarded by 10 Rich Countries – ‘Tragedy’ for Those Deprived of Jabs
(Health Policy Watch)
Russia Sets New Record For COVID Deaths
(Associated Press)
UK’s COVID Missteps Cost Thousands Of Lives Inquiry Finds
(New York Times)
Rapid Tests Can Make It Easier To Gather Safely For The Holidays
(Boston Globe)
Timing Is Everything WIth Merck’s New COVID Pill
(The Atlantic)
A Better Way To Think About Your COVID Risk
(The Atlantic)
Viral Evolution Is A Long Game. Here’s Where Scientists Think We Are Headed
(New York Times)

UPDATE WEDNESDAY October 6 as of 8 AM
Confirmed Cases in MA – 818,290 (+9,617).
Deaths: 18,680 (+103)
Confirmed Cases in Amherst –3555 (+29) Currently Active –32 (-41)
UMass: Cumulative Positive Cases: 2565 through May 15, 2021
UMass: Cumulative Positive Cases Beginning September 1, 2021 – 511(+40)
Amherst Public Schools Cumulative Positive Cases Beginning September 1, 2021 – 16 (+0)
Source For Amherst – Town Of Amherst Dashboard
Source For UMass UMass Dashboard
Source For Amherst Public Schools – ARPS Dashboard
Sources for Amherst Area Schools and Colleges.
Source for Massachusetts: NYT Daily Dashboard
Confirmed Cases in USA – 44,781,200 (+726,395)
Confirmed Deaths – 724,767 (+13,506)
Source: Worldometers 
Confirmed Cases Worldwide:236,706,990
Deaths: 4,884,239 Source: Worldometers see also: Johns Hopkins University.

News:
Breakthrough Cases Decline In Massachusetts
(MassLIve)
Hospitalization Rates Down Across US
(CNN)
We Are Not Out Of Danger. Threat Lingers Even As Case Counts Decline
(New York Times)
US Surpasses 700,000 COVID-19 Deaths
(CNN)
The Best And Worst Cases For COVID This Winter
(Vox)
COVID Cases Among Kids Are Soaring
(Washington Post)
COVID Vaccination For KIds Timeline
(LA Times)
Merck’s New COVID-19 Anti-viral Pill
(Vox)
The Psychological Benefits Of COVID Boosters
(The Atlantic)
We’re Already Barreling Toward The Next Pandemic
(The Atlantic)
COVID Risk Factors May Be Hiding In Our Genes
(The Atlantic)