Beginning on Sunday, China’s metropolis of Guangzhou, where 15.3 million people live, got hit with an outbreak of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-19, the one that has hit India so badly. Just as a reminder, an outbreak is when there are no cases and then something nasty appears on the horizon. Between 13 and 21 Covid cases occurred each day, from Sunday to Wednesday — up from their normal 0-1 cases. The government has taken the normal Chinese total response: Infected people are being isolated, tracking of possible infections is being undertaken, and all flights in and out of Guangzhou have been cancelled. Residents are not allowed to travel out of the metropolis without special permits. There is great confidence that the virus can be outflanked.
New cases/day in the United States are down by about 94%, from 260,000 on January 8 to 16,000 on June 2, which is great news. The next accomplishment would be to get the number small enough so that the normal isolation, tracking, and tracing methods keep the virus holed up in a corner.
