The Dark, Confusing December Ahead – By Derek Thompson (The Atlantic) / Dec 1 2020
U.S. COVID-19 statistics are about to look better—even though the reality is almost certainly getting worse.
Here is what we know about the state of COVID-19 as we approach the winter holiday season.
On Thanksgiving Eve, more than 1 million passengers cleared airport security, the highest single-day volume since the coronavirus reshaped American life in March. While airplanes are not likely settings for super-spreader events, everything before and after people step on a plane is somewhat risky. This includes parents shouting at their misbehaving kids in security lines; individuals munching on Auntie Anne’s pretzels, masks dangling from their chins, in departure-terminal crowds; and, most importantly, extended families swapping sweet-potato pie and invisible pathogens over the dinner table in poorly ventilated homes. A holiday surge on top of the calamitous autumn surge could be coming soon.
What we don’t know about the new stage of coronavirus cases—and what we will not know for several days or even weeks—is just as important to spell out.
CONTINUE > https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2020/12/dark-confusing-december-ahead/170386/
