Opinion by Richard Sternberg, M.D. A return to normalcy after COVID? It appears the summer surge of COVID-19 in the United States is abating. Numbers are going down except in the hardest hit states. The average number of deaths last week was approximately 1,800 per day and the number of daily infections is about 100,000. These seem to be trending down but if they flare up again and represent averages over the long-term we are talking about 675,000 deaths per…
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Opinion by Richard Sternberg M.D. There is good news to report on COVID prevention Last week, Merck and Company announced that an experimental pill they are working on to treat COVID-19 early in the course of the disease to keep patients from becoming seriously ill or dying is proving safe and effective. After discussion with the FDA, it and Merck felt the results were so good they decided to close additional enrollment to the trial. They will finish out the…
Life in the Time of Covid-19 Here we go again with the coronavirus pandemic Several months ago, I stopped writing my weekly column on life in the time of Covid-19. The rollout of the vaccinations was going well locally, the numbers of people hospitalized locally were low, and organizations were opening up. The Rotary Club that I belong to in Cooperstown was making plans to go back to meetings in person. I was also recovering from major surgery and it…
In other business: COVID $ disapoints; Glen project gets permit By GREG KLEIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com • The village has received $89,000 from the federal government as part of the corona-virus relief package. Tillapaugh said it is much less than she anticipated or the village lost in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic and shutdown. The assignments were based on population, a formula that did not favor Cooperstown, she said. The village will receive a similar amount in 2022…
LETTER from RICHARD STERNBERG The Doctor Will View You Now On a recent morning, I had a first visit/consultation with a physician from Columbia-Presbyterian in New York City. In going to the city and back to Cooperstown, Columbia presents a special challenge to me. It is a difficult facility to maneuver through under fully normal conditions and these times aren’t normal. It would have required driving about four hours each way and maybe even an overnight stay. Both the physician…
LETTER from RICHARD STERNBERG A&D, OPT, Other Transportation Services Step Up I and multitudes of people, from the President of the United States on down, have tried to convince people to get vaccinated when they are eligible, and to maintain basic public health precautions; wearing masks properly, washing hands and surfaces frequently, and maintaining social distance. Only about 60 percent of the adult population has followed these recommendations and a similar percent say they will get vaccinated. If this continues,…
LETTER from RICHARD STERNBERG Rotary Edges Toward In Person Meetings There comes a time in the history of an epidemic when the risk of discomfort, disability and death begins to be outweighed by the risks of continued isolation and continued restrictions on normal societal behavior. If we can stay the course on the rate of vaccinations that we’ve seen lately since the mega-sites opened, we can soon reach that point. The CDC has indicated that if all the individuals in…
EDITORIAL Much To Be Proud Of In Response To COVID-19 Despite the chilling toll – 3,483 COVID-19 cases and 54 deaths – Otsego County people, our neighbors, friends and family, have a lot to be proud of as we ended The Year of The Pandemic on Monday, March 15, we found in revisiting the last 52 editions of this newspaper. Throughout, there was worry, dismay and grief in the face of the implacable and mysterious foe, but little panic. In…
LETTER from RICHARD STERNBERG Neighbors Helping Neighbors Get Shots This past weekend Bassett performed an amazing feat of vaccinating a large group of people, more than 1,100 over two days. The confirmation of vaccine availability only came though on Wednesday, March 3, leaving but two full days to prepare. Nevertheless, I visited on Sunday and it had the appearance of a military operation (which in a sense it was). The Bassett community, from Dr. Tommy Ibrahim on down should be…
LETTER from RICHARD STERNBERG If Offered J&J Vaccine, Take It, Stop 3rd Wave This past Sunday the Director of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) approved the use of the COVID-vaccine produced by Janssen/Johnson & Johnson. The day before the FDA determined that the vaccine was safe and effective for the prevention of COVID-19 and gave it an EUA (emergency use authorization). On Monday, the state Task Force unanimously recommended its use. The entire current inventory of 3.9…
