People are certainly less healthy in the USA, avg age of 38.5 vs 48.4 in Japan. (Could also be that Japan's population has been stagnating for longer, -0.3% pop growth in Japan vs +0.4% in the USA) Yet that only means more vulnerable people in Japan, corrected for that the death rate to Covid in the USA would look even worse. And indeed, sadly many people can't afford sick leave in the USA, have multiple jobs just to stay afloat, and thus multiple opportunities to spread a virus around.
I'll keep wearing a mask to protect my wife and to make other people feel more comfortable. I don't want to be the one to get her sick and I respect elderly people that still go out on their own. Anything to make them feel more comfortable going out. All the elderly people here still wear masks.
Numbers for here:
Health officials in Ontario say 1,684 people are in hospital with COVID-19 as another 23 deaths due to the disease were reported in the last 24 hours.
However half of those caught Covid in the hospital...
Fifty-four per cent of the patients currently receiving care were not admitted due to COVID-19, but have since tested positive. Forty-six per cent were admitted because of COVID-19.
In the ICU, two patients are no longer seeking care, bringing the total number of those in intensive care with COVID-19 down to 212.
Moreover, 66 per cent were admitted to intensive care due to their COVID-19 diagnosis, while 34 per cent were admitted for a different reason but are now testing positive.
Not safe to go the hospital :/ Stay healthy.
(We don't have regular tests anymore though, so it doesn't necessarily mean all that tested positive in the hospital weren't admitted with Covid)