Coronavirus daily update: Friday, Jan. 15

The latest outrage

Here’s an example of how much damage the Trump Administration can do in its final week: A few days ago, Health & Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said he’d be releasing the federal government’s reserve of vaccines to states, so that they could more aggressively administer them.

In response, a bunch of states — North Carolina included — began offering the vaccine to everyone age 65 and over, as opposed to 75 and over.

But!

The strategic reserve of COVID-19 vaccines, reported the Washington Post, “no such reserve existed.” They had been pulling doses directly off the manufacturing line, so none had piled up.

So what are we gonna do about this in NC? I don’t know. The news cycle hasn’t gotten there yet.

Until then, there’s always the numbers.

The numbers

• Statewide, 8,914 new cases for a total of 659,840. Of those, 63,070 (9.55 percent) are antigen-positive. We have 7,933 deaths (+108), 610 of them antigen positive (7.7 percent).
  • 3,916 hospitalized, trending down.
  • 11.2 positive test rate, trending down.
  • No new vaccination numbers
• Guilford County adds 541, for 27,595. We have 336 deaths (+0 most of the week) and 5,355 current cases (a lot!)
  • Positive test rate for. the last two weeks: 15.5 percent
• In Forsyth, 278 new ones for 24,381. 19,330 recoveries and 246 deaths makes 5,255 current cases. Also a lot.

A diversion

Here’s a show I used to watch when I was a kid, a local Sunday morning show for kids. All I remember is the theme song, “Kids are People Too.” But I think I need some comfort TV right now.

Program notes

• “Alfred Dedreux (1810–1860) as a Child” finished out my regression to my youth. Like looking in a mirror. By Théodore Gericault, 1819-20. That’s all we know, really. Thanks to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s public-domain collection.
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