COVID-19 Weekly Update Archive For The Month Of January 2023
Photo: pixabay.com
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 and death count is a substantial underestimate of the actual number of cases and deaths. This underestimate is thought to be especially extreme under current conditions where the availability of testing and tracking have been greatly reduced and where reporting of new cases to public health officials has all but stopped. Currently the only reliable indicators on the state of COVID infections seem to be hospitalization rates and wastewater measurements. It is also not clear whether deaths due to post-COVID complications are incorporated into COVID mortality statistics but it would appear that they mostly are not. Nonetheless, until this week the numbers show over 3000 Americans identified as COVID deaths each week, suggesting that the the virus and the pandemic are still very much with us. Globally, there is currently a large COVID surge in China but China has stopped reporting daily COVID counts and hence that outbreak is not reflected in the global data.
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, October 21, November 21, December 21, January 22, February 22, March 2022, April 2022, May 2022, June 2022, July 2022, August 2022, September 2022, October 2022, November 2022,
December 2022
Numbers in parentheses indicate increase or decrease in count from previous Wednesday.
UPDATE WEDNESDAY, January 25, 2023 as of 8 AM.
Massachusetts: As of 9/26/22, the New York Times COVID tracker and COVID ActNow no longer report raw case counts for states and instead report counts/100,000, as well as hospital admission rates and vaccination rates. These are better indicators of the state of the pandemic than raw counts, especially since reporting of cases has become so unreliable, and we’ll be reporting them henceforth. Nonetheless, it’s useful to know that as of 9/21/22 there had been 2,030,335 cases of COIVD recorded in Massachusetts and 21, 588 deaths.
MA newly reported cases /100k : 121.9 (-40.5). Hospitalizations/ 100k: 14.4 (-4.4) . Deaths/100,000.: <1 (NC) Fully Vaccinated: 84.1% (+.1). with booster: 47.3% (+.1) Community risk level: Medium (last week, Medium)
Amherst: Data as of 1/24/.23. Numbers in parentheses reflect changes over last two weeks. Total Confirmed Cases in Amherst: 10,580 (+34). Currently Active : 21 (+3). 14 day incidence average 4.4 /100,000 (last week, 7.9). Full wastewater surveillance reports & archives can be found here.
Amherst Public Schools:
COVID counts from January 1, 2022 – June 18, 2022: 999
COVID counts beginning August 2022: August 22: 18, September 22: 146, October 22: 81 , November 22: 46, December 22: 63, January 23: 66
Running Total For AY 22-23: 420
UMass: UMass relaunched its COVID dashboard this week after a hiatus since May 10, 2022
Cumulative Positive Cases Beginning September 1, 2021 – May 10, 2022. – 4607.
Cumulative Positive Cases From September 1 2022, December 10 2022 – 1494
New Positive Cases for the week December 11 – December 17 : 35 (-4)
No new data since December 17, 2022
Sources for other Amherst Area Schools and Colleges
USA And The World
Source: Worldometers
Confirmed Cases in USA – 103,907,433 (+293,022)
Confirmed Deaths USA –1,129,618 (+3,723)
Confirmed Cases Worldwide: 673,847,652 (+1,798,229)
Deaths: 6,750,261 (+15,930)
Source: Worldometers see also: Johns
Hopkins University
COVID NEWS
Boston’s COVID Numbers Show Promising Trends But Risk Of Transmission Remains High
(Boston.gov)
Even Bivalent Vaccines Struggle To Prevent Omicron Subvariant Transmission. An Immunologist Discusses Why New Approaches Are Necessary
(Yahoo News)
The Genetic Mutation That Makes The “Kraken” Subvariant So Contagious
(Rolling Stone)
Annual COVID Vaccine Under Consideration By FDA
(NPR)
Biden Says The Pandemic Is Over But The Pandemic Won’t Cooperate
(Los Angeles Times)
Eight In Ten People In China Caught COVID Since Early December
(The Guardian)
Trying To Stop Long COVID Before It Even Starts
(The Atlantic)
The Public Health Battle Against COVID Misinformation Continues
(Slate)
How Your First Brush With COVID Warps Your Immunity
(Nature)
Claims Of COVID Vaccine Injuries And Deaths Revive Anti-vax Protest Movement
(Rolling Stone)
McCarthy Taps GOP COVID Deniers To Serve On House COVID Committee
(Politico)
UPDATE WEDNESDAY, January 18, 2023 as of 8 AM.
Massachusetts: As of 9/26/22, the New York Times COVID tracker and COVID ActNow no longer report raw case counts for states and instead report counts/100,000, as well as hospital admission rates and vaccination rates. These are better indicators of the state of the pandemic than raw counts, especially since reporting of cases has become so unreliable, and we’ll be reporting them henceforth. Nonetheless, it’s useful to know that as of 9/21/22 there had been 2,030,335 cases of COIVD recorded in Massachusetts and 21, 588 deaths.
MA newly reported cases /100k : 162.4 (+-11.0). Hospitalizations/ 100k: 18.8 (-.7) . Deaths/100,000.: <1 (NC) Fully Vaccinated: 84.0% (+.1). with booster: 47.2% (+.1) Community risk level: Medium (last week, Medium)
Amherst: Data as of 1/12/.23. No new data since then. Total Confirmed Cases in Amherst: 10,546 (+45). Currently Active : 18 (-19). 14 day incidence average 7.3 /100,000 (last week, 4.9). Full wastewater surveillance reports & archives can be found here.
Amherst Public Schools:
COVID counts from January 1, 2022 – June 18, 2022: 999
COVID counts beginning August 2022: August 22: 18, September 22: 146, October 22: 81 , November 22: 46, December 22: 63, January 23: 53
Running Total For AY 22-23: 407
UMass: UMass relaunched its COVID dashboard this week after a hiatus since May 10, 2022
Cumulative Positive Cases Beginning September 1, 2021 – May 10, 2022. – 4607.
Cumulative Positive Cases From September 1 2022, December 10 2022 – 1494
New Positive Cases for the week December 11 – December 17 : 35 (-4)
No new data since December 17, 2022
Sources for other Amherst Area Schools and Colleges
USA And The World
Source: Worldometers
Confirmed Cases in USA – 103,614,411 (+462,568)
Confirmed Deaths USA –1,125,895 (+4,150)
Confirmed Cases Worldwide: 672,049,423 (+2,413,030)
Deaths: 6,734,331 (+15,679)
Source: Worldometers see also: Johns
Hopkins University
COVID NEWS
Coronavirus In The US. Where Cases Are Growing And Declining
(National Geographic)
What We Know About XBB.1.15, The New Highly Transmissible COVID Variant
(PBS)
The Genetic Mutations That Make “Kraken” COVID So Contagious
(Rolling Stone)
In China’s Countryiside, A COVID Tsunami Is Brewing
(CNN)
How Bad Is China’s COVID Outbreak?
(Washington Post)
China’s COVID Wave Has Probably Peaked, Model Suggests
(Nature)
Why China Dumped Its No COVID Policy So Suddenly And Disastrously
(Washington Post)
Coronavirus During Pregnancy Increases Risk Of Maternal Death
(Boston Globe)
At Least 65 Million People Have Long COVID
(Nature)
Long COVID: Major Findings
(Nature)
Trying To Stop Long COVID Before It Even Starts
(The Atlantic)
COVID And The Heart. It Spares No One
(publichealth.jhu.edu)
Autopsies Show COVID-19 In The Brain
(Medpage Today)
DeSantis Proposes Policy Permanently Banning COVID-19 Vaccine And Mask Requirements And Other Pandemic Mitigation Measures In Florida
(CNN)
The Future Of Public Health Stands At The COVID-19 Crossroads
(Harvard Public Health Magazine)
Let Them Eat Plague
(Red Clarion)
UPDATE WEDNESDAY, January 11, 2023 as of 8 AM.
Massachusetts: As of 9/26/22, the New York Times COVID tracker and COVID ActNow no longer report raw case counts for states and instead report counts/100,000, as well as hospital admission rates and vaccination rates. These are better indicators of the state of the pandemic than raw counts, especially since reporting of cases has become so unreliable, and we’ll be reporting them henceforth. Nonetheless, it’s useful to know that as of 9/21/22 there had been 2,030,335 cases of COIVD recorded in Massachusetts and 21, 588 deaths.
MA newly reported cases /100k : 173.4 (+29.5). Hospitalizations/ 100k: 19.5 (-4.0) . Deaths/100,000.: <1 (NC) Fully Vaccinated: 83.9% (+.1). with booster: 47.1 % (+.1) Community risk level: Medium (last week, High)
Amherst: Total Confirmed Cases in Amherst: 10,546 (+45). Currently Active : 18 (-19). 14 day incidence average 7.3 /100,000 (last week, 4.9). Full wastewater surveillance reports & archives can be found here.
Amherst Public Schools:
COVID counts from January 1, 2022 – June 18, 2022: 999
COVID counts beginning August 2022: August 22: 18, September 22: 146, October 22: 81 , November 22: 46, December 22: 63, January 23: 42
Running Total For AY 22-23: 396
UMass: UMass relaunched its COVID dashboard this week after a hiatus since May 10, 2022
Cumulative Positive Cases Beginning September 1, 2021 – May 10, 2022. – 4607.
Cumulative Positive Cases From September 1 2022, December 10 2022 – 1494
New Positive Cases for the week December 11 – December 17 : 35 (-4)
No new data since December 17, 2022
Sources for other Amherst Area Schools and Colleges
USA And The World
Source: Worldometers
Confirmed Cases in USA – 103,151,843 (+188,473)
Confirmed Deaths USA –1,121,745 (+1,705)
Confirmed Cases Worldwide: 669,618,393 (+3,044,162)
Deaths: 6,718,652 (+15,089)
Source: Worldometers see also: Johns
Hopkins University
COVID NEWS
Mask Mandates Return To Boston Area With COVID-19 Resurgence
(Patch)
It’s The Third COVID Winter. But This One Is Different
(WBUR)
Biden Administration Extends Public Health Emergency As XBB.1.15 Variant Spreads
(CNBC)
Dr. Peter Hotez On The New XBB.1.15 Variant. People Are Saying It’s Mild. It’s Not Mild
(Houston Chronicle)
How The Latest COVID-19 Variant Is Shaping The Course Of The Pandemic
(Vox)
WHO Urges Travelers To Wear Masks As New Variant Spreads
(Reuters)
Pentagon Officially Rescinds COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
(CBS News)
This Is What Shanghi’s COVID-19 Outbreak Looks Like
(New York Times)
Most People With Long COVID Started With A Mild Case
(CBS News)
The COVID Heart—One Year After SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Patients Have an Array of Increased Cardiovascular Risks
(jamanetwork.com)
COVID Autopsies Reveal Virus Spreading Through Entire Body
(Science Alert)
Maybe Don’t Unleash The Kraken, The Ways We’re Talking About COVID Are Only Getting Weirder
(The Atlantic)
Damar Hamlin: How Anit-vaxers Exploited Player’s Collapse
(BBC)
What’s Standing In The Way Of Wastewater Data Becoming A More Mainstream Public Health Tool
(Stat News)
UPDATE WEDNESDAY, January 4, 2023 as of 8 AM.
Massachusetts: As of 9/26/22, the New York Times COVID tracker and COVID ActNow no longer report raw case counts for states and instead report counts/100,000, as well as hospital admission rates and vaccination rates. These are better indicators of the state of the pandemic than raw counts, especially since reporting of cases has become so unreliable, and we’ll be reporting them henceforth. Nonetheless, it’s useful to know that as of 9/21/22 there had been 2,030,335 cases of COIVD recorded in Massachusetts and 21, 588 deaths.
MA newly reported cases /100k : 143.9 (-13.8). Hospitalizations/ 100k: 23.5(+6.9) . Deaths/100,000.: <1 (NC) Fully Vaccinated: 83.8% (+.1). with booster: 47.0 % (+.2) Community risk level: High (last week, Medium)
Amherst: Total Confirmed Cases in Amherst: 10,499 (+32). Currently Active : 37 (+21). 14 day incidence average 4.9 /100,000 (last week, 4.9). No New Data Reported since 12/21/22. New updates expected on 1/9/23. Full wastewater surveillance reports & archives can be found here.
Amherst Public Schools:
COVID counts from January 1, 2022 – June 18, 2022: 999
COVID counts beginning August 2022: August 22: 18, September 22: 146, October 22: 81 , November 22: 46, December 22: 63, January 23: 18
Running Total For AY 22-23: 354
UMass: UMass relaunched its COVID dashboard this week after a hiatus since May 10, 2022
Cumulative Positive Cases Beginning September 1, 2021 – May 10, 2022. – 4607.
Cumulative Positive Cases From September 1 2022, December 10 2022 – 1494
New Positive Cases for the week December 11 – December 17 : 35 (-4)
No new data since December 17, 2022
Sources for other Amherst Area Schools and Colleges
USA And The World
Source: Worldometers
Confirmed Cases in USA – 102,963,370 (+644,586)
Confirmed Deaths USA –1,120,040 (+3551)
Confirmed Cases Worldwide: 666,574,231 (+3,449,222)
Deaths: 6,703,563 (+13,339)
Source: Worldometers see also: Johns
Hopkins University
COVID NEWS
Post-holiday COVID Surge Has Arrived In Massachusetts
(WGBH)
Most Of Massachusetts Is Now At High COVID Community Levels
(Boston Globe)
Boston Doctors Explain Dramatic Uptick In COVID Wastewater Levels As XBB Sub-variant Spreads
(NBC Boston)
New COVID Subvariant Spreads Rapidly In Northeast Raising Concerns That It Evades Vaccine
(PBS)
COVID-19 XBB.1.15 Variant. What To Knows
(Time)
Omicron Offshoot XBB.1.15 Could Drive New COVID Wave In US
(CNN)
Scientists Find COVID In 98% Of Samples Taken From Malaysian Airlines Wastewater
(Audacy)
COVID-19 Vaccines Certainly Didn’t Cause Damar Hamlin’s Cardiac Arrest. Here’s What May Have
(Los Angeles Times)
Study Identifies Four Major Sub-types Of Long COVID
(Cornell Chronicle)
COVID-19 Neuro Complications, Long-term Symptoms In Kids
(CIDRAP)
COVID Drug Paxlovid Was Hailed As A Game Changer. What Happened?
(Nature)
Our Cells’ Genes Are Rewired In Mild COVID
(Nature)