Weekly update, fall wave is picking up speed in Europe
In total 3.27 million new cases were reported last week (up from 3.12 million)
Also another 10,271 more deaths were reported (up from 9,787) to a total of 6,549,212
USA reported 352K new cases (down from 399K) and 3,237 more deaths (up from 3,109)
Europe reported 1.72 million new cases (up from 1.35 million) and 3,667 more deaths (up from 2,456)
Either the criteria must be very different between USA and Europe what counts as Covid death or Americans die a lot easier. Per million population the death rate in the USA is about twice as high as in Europe.
The continents
A slight up tick in South America, but it's Europe again that's driving the next wave.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/germany-warns-of-rise-in-covid-19-cases-going-into-fall-1.6090875
Germany's health minister warned Friday that the country is seeing a steady rise in COVID-19 cases as it goes into the fall, and urged older people to get a second booster shot tweaked to protect against new variants.
Other European countries such as France, Denmark and the Netherlands are also recording an increase in cases, Karl Lauterbach told reporters in Berlin.
Corners of the world
Australia seems to be settling on spreading out the weekly total over the week.
As for the loss of taste and smell
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/long-covid-what-science-has-learned-about-the-loss-of-smell-and-taste-1.6091840
Some 5% of global COVID-19 survivors have developed long-lasting taste and smell problems, according to a 2022 study. More than two years into the pandemic, researchers found an estimated 15 million people may still have problems perceiving odours, while 12 million may struggle with taste.
When the virus that causes COVID-19 invaded our lives, a condition that was relatively rare among people under 50 expanded exponentially, affecting all ages.
"COVID-19 affected younger people much more than other forms of post-viral smell loss," said surgeon Dr. Eric Holbrook, an associate professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Harvard Medical School. "You wouldn't see much smell loss in the pediatric population, for example, and now it's very common."
Statistics show most people recover their sense of taste and smell. An August analysis of 267 people who lost smell and taste at least two years ago found the majority either fully (38.2%) or partially (54.3%) recovered their ability to smell and taste. That was especially true for people under 40, according to the study.
But 7.5% had not recovered their sense of smell and taste two years after their COVID-19 infection cleared. Those who were least likely to recover included people with existing nasal congestion, more women than men, and those who had a greater initial severity of smell loss, the study found.
