Topic: Surge

Doctors in China have reportedly been instructed to avoid listing COVID-19 as the cause of death on official certificates, attributing fatalities to underlying conditions like heart disease or asthma instead. This directive aims to keep official mortality numbers low during the current virus surge. The hosts also discuss the narrative shift in the West, where the new wave of variants is being blamed on China's "re-opening."

NPR health correspondent Rob Stein and epidemiologist Michael Osterholm warn of a potential tenth COVID-19 surge in the United States, citing rising infection rates in Europe. Officials are monitoring wastewater data in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest for early signs of transmission. There is skepticism regarding the expansion of wastewater testing as a tool for localized lockdowns or increased government surveillance.

The Justice Department is asking an appeals court to reinstate federal mask mandates for planes and public transit after a judge ruled the mandate unlawful in April. Health officials report that the United States is currently recording COVID-19 case numbers similar to the previous summer's Delta surge. Doctors are emphasizing the importance of booster shots for those at high risk as hospitalizations and test positivity rates rise.

New York City has raised its COVID risk level to medium, advising masks in indoor public settings. Dr. Deborah Birx has returned to the media circuit, warning of a potential summer surge in the Southern United States based on data from South Africa. She suggests that natural immunity wanes every four to six months, leading to predictable infection waves.

The "Omicron" variant is introduced through parodies of "On the Road Again" and "Mama Don't Take My Kodachrome Away." The hosts point out that Waterford, Ireland, has a 99.7% vaccination rate yet the highest infection rate. A parody of "Santa Baby" titled "Fauci Baby" features a singer asking for fourth, fifth, and eighth booster shots to remain an "awful good slave."

Ottawa Police implement a "surge and contain" strategy, deploying concrete barricades to manage the trucker occupation. Officials and media warn that the demonstration is becoming a volatile occupation that threatens access to local hospitals.

The show concludes with a media mix featuring Dr. Scott Gottlieb and reports on the Omicron surge in New York City. The hosts sign off with their traditional "Adios Amigos" and remind listeners to return for the next episode on Thursday.

The Biden administration is deploying "surge teams" to areas with low vaccination rates to provide testing and therapeutics. Simultaneously, reports from Australia highlight Section 158 of the Public Health Act of 2016, which grants authorities the power to use reasonable force to apprehend, detain, and forcibly vaccinate individuals. This legal provision includes the authority to remove clothing if necessary to facilitate medical treatment or vaccination.

Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm warns of an impending "tsunami" of COVID-19 cases driven by the B117 variant, specifically targeting the Midwest and Northeast. The hosts criticize his repeated predictions of surges and his calls for continued restrictions despite the vaccine rollout.

ABC News reported that December 2020 was the most devastating month of the pandemic, with two Americans testing positive every second. The network highlighted a "staggering" projection of 90,000 deaths in three weeks. Coverage focused on overwhelmed hospitals in California, describing the situation as the "darkest day" of the emergency.

Media reports fluctuate between calling the current COVID-19 spike a "second surge" or a "third surge," with New Mexico officials declaring the most serious emergency in the state's history. Experts warn of a "dark winter" ahead as daily infections reach a benchmark of 70,000, despite studies showing improved treatment outcomes in the US and UK.

Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins participated in a USA Today livestream to discuss the resurgence of COVID-19 infections in the United States. Fauci claimed the U.S. is still "knee-deep" in the first wave because the baseline of infections never dropped as it did in Europe. The conversation appeared highly scripted, serving as a public relations effort to frame the current surge as a result of states reopening too quickly.

The hosts promote No Agenda Social, a private federated social network, as an alternative to mainstream platforms. They discuss the artwork for Episode 1256, titled "White Tears," created by Darren O'Neill. A technical discussion follows regarding a piece by Mountain J, which required manual Photoshop edits to correct a show number, leading to a request for artists to provide "evergreen" versions of their work.

An IT professional working in a New York City nursing home provides a "boots on the ground" report regarding Governor Andrew Cuomo's handling of the elderly. The report alleges that nursing homes were forced to accept COVID-positive patients from hospitals despite being unprepared and lacking PPE. Later, the state mandated twice-weekly testing for all staff, creating a massive financial and logistical burden for facilities.

Dr. Fauci and Dr. Robert Redfield testified remotely to the Senate Health Committee while in quarantine following White House exposure. The hearing highlighted a partisan split in mask-wearing among senators, with Rand Paul notably appearing without one. The media's use of the word "surge" is questioned, specifically regarding its application to small increases in case numbers.

A major technical glitch in the Uber app left tens of thousands of racegoers stranded at the Flemington Racecourse in Australia. The failure of dedicated pickup zones forced passengers to walk blocks away to book rides, often facing extreme surge pricing. Local reports indicated that traditional taxis became a cheaper and more reliable alternative during the outage.

Hurricane Dorian, a Category 4 storm, is projected to hit the Bahamas with 150 mph winds before potentially skirting the Florida coast. The hosts mock the inaccuracy of "spaghetti" weather models and joke about a "Scooter-nado" occurring if the storm hits Austin, Texas, and lofts thousands of dockless electric scooters into the air.

Reports indicate that Uber's surge pricing often results in significantly higher fares for passengers without a proportional increase in driver pay. In some cases, passengers are charged triple the standard rate while drivers receive only a small fraction of the additional revenue.

A conversation with a retired Uber driver in Chicago revealed that the Uber app no longer explicitly states when surge pricing is in effect for riders. The system reportedly uses dynamic pricing based on a rider's perceived price tolerance and plays the "spread" between what the rider pays and what the driver receives. Drivers are advised to reject initial quotes to potentially trigger a lower fare.

A massive storm surge in Boston resulted in the highest tide ever recorded in the city, leading to widespread flooding. Media reports immediately attributed the event to global warming, though the hosts point out that similar floods occurred in 1978 and 1921. Dvorak reports from the San Francisco Bay, noting that local mudflats remain unchanged despite "super tide" warnings.