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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The county where I live offers data on covid fatalities broken down by nursing home (green) and non-nursing home (blue.)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The nursing home fatalities started a few weeks after the non-homers and the two cumulative numbers tracked for most of the duration. On 14 December, they were equal at 282 each (the county population is a bit over 2 million.)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Looking at today’s numbers, since parity was reached on 14 December, and even for the coupla weeks before that, the nursing home fatalities have become a very dominant majority. Last week we had 34 homers die vs 20 non-homers.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I track this for a reason, not just because I have friends who live in those facilities or anticipate doing so in the foreseeable. That’s part of it of course. It also goes towards my continued efforts in understanding the conditions in which this virus spreads. My advice hasn’t changed, for my elderly friends anticipating the move: hold for now if that is an option. If you can afford to pay a prole to come in and fix your meals, do that instead. The vaccine is here and we are told that it works. Hold back for about 6 more months if you can.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>spike<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><img width=585 height=458 style='width:6.0937in;height:4.7708in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image003.jpg@01D6E00B.F379B4B0"><o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>