‘A MORE MANAGEABLE INFECTION’
Infectious disease experts not fazed by coronavirus uptick
Infectious disease experts are optimistic about the future, saying that while COVID-19 cases may be on the rise, hospitalizations and deaths are nowhere near the levels seen in past surges.
Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University and an infectious disease physician, said the uptick in cases is not surprising.
Adalja attributed the recent increase in cases to new variants that have emerged, coupled with the fact that “most people are back to their normal life, where there’s going to be more opportunity for the virus to spread.”
However, he said the medical community is seeing a much more manageable infection, as many people are vaccinated or have already been infected.
“It’s a different situation than prior points in the pandemic, because we’re seeing a lot of delinking of cases from hospitalizations,” Adalja said. “Hospitals are not overwhelmed at this point, and it’s unlikely that they will be overwhelmed because there’s so much immunity in the population.”
Dr. Shira Doron, an infectious disease physician at Tufts Medical Center, agreed, adding that hospitalization rates tracked by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are misleading.
The CDC lists any person in the hospital with COVID-19 as a hospitalization, but many patients are admitted for other reasons, and test positive for the virus upon entrance, Doron said. This is because Massachusetts has a mandatory admissions testing policy.
Doron said Tufts began tracking its own hospitalization rate in January, during the height of the omicron
variant surge. At that time, about 50% of patients statewide were in the hospital for COVID-19; that number is now consistently at 32%, she said.
Since the omicron variant was first detected around Thanksgiving, it has mutated several times, with its BA.2 subvariant spawning its own mutation, BA.2.12.1, which impacted countries based on where they were at with the initial surge, Doron said.
For the United States, which had been easing out of the past surge, each subvariant caused an uptick, she said.
Going forward, Doron said the focus should be on getting two shots into the arms of those who have not been vaccinated, rather than focusing on booster shots and implementing the restrictions that were put in place earlier in the pandemic.
Mandates such as requiring
everyone to wear a mask again or placing restrictions on their activities are not the solution, Doron said. These restrictions have not worked, she said, and also “sow distrust.”
Booster shots should be aimed toward older people, Doron said, rather than lowrisk people. She would like to see new vaccines that prevent infection and are effective against variants.
But Dr. Todd Ellerin, director of infectious disease
and chief of medicine at South Shore Hospital, had a different take on vaccine efforts.
“One of the points I want to make is: Full vaccination is no longer two shots,” said Ellerin. “Full vaccination needs to be a minimum of three shots.”
Ellerin credited vaccines and Pfizer’s new antiviral pill, Paxlovid, for reducing hospitalizations by approximately 89%.
What all three doctors
agreed upon was that COVID-19 is not going away. There are always going to be infections, hospitalizations and death, particularly for those who remain unprotected. What they do foresee is a more mild infection, with Adalja speculating that it could become a fifth seasonal influenza virus.
“In general, what we’ll see is this becoming a much more manageable infection,” Adalja said.
I think he’s going to be a three-down back at the NFL level. I have a ton of faith in him and his ability and what he can do.”
Still, there are a few concerns. Strong, at 5-foot-11, 207 pounds, is undersized. That’s one of the knocks. He also had ball security issues, fumbling five times as a senior.
That won’t fly in Foxboro. Strong also needs to prove he can pass-protect at the NFL level. Belichick won’t be inclined to use him as a third-down back if he can’t get the hang of blitz pick-up and protect the franchise — Mac Jones.
Galko indicated Strong did a good job in pass protection at the Shrine Bowl. Crenshaw, meanwhile, said he has seen improvement in that area over time, and it shouldn’t be a concern.
“I know people say he needs to work on that, but I thought he made an extremely huge jump in pass protection from previous years, to now his senior year,” said Crenshaw. “He knew it was important for teams to see him pass-protect and put great things on film.
“If you look at film from his senior year, there were times he was putting his face on people, and he’s pass protecting his butt off because he knows the value of it.”
The ultimate hope is that Strong’s speed, and overall ability will help make the Patriots a bit more explosive on offense.
He sure fits in on the trick-play front, having completed all nine passes he was asked to make during his time at South Dakota State, throwing six touchdown passes in the process.
Crenshaw believes the arrow is definitely pointing up for this kid.
“A lot of people talk about the tread on his tires. I think he’s just getting started at just how dynamic and how good of a football player he can be,” said Crenshaw. “He’s still learning, he’s still growing, he’s still developing, so he’s still got a lot of upside.”
And, he still has that monster chip on his shoulder. He still wants to make the doubters eat crow, and according to Crenshaw, the doubting crowd has grown.
Some questioned his selection by the Patriots.
“I’ve already seen some comments. He’s probably seen a few, ‘I wish they would have gone a different route, I wish they would have gotten a different kid,’” said Crenshaw, “So for him, all the noise, he doesn’t worry about it. He just likes to prove people wrong. He’s just going to work his tail off to make sure people know who Pierre Strong is.”
The Zappe files
When the Patriots drafted Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe in the fourth round, that was essentially the nail in the coffin for Jarrett Stidham, who was traded Thursday to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Pats are clearly investing in Zappe to be the eventual backup to Mac Jones. Like Jones, he’s a pocket passer.
NFL Network’s draft analyst Charles Davis said Zappe caught his eye during Senior Bowl week.
“He got better every day at the Senior Bowl, in my humble estimation,” said Davis. “I talked to a few people around, and they said this kid was locked in, wired in. He’s what I’d call an operator.”
Davis meant that in a good way.
“In a lot of ways, he’s Gardner Minshew without the fanfare, without the jorts and all that stuff that goes with being Gardner Minshew,” said Davis. “Zappe is that kind of a guy.”
He’s also the type of quarterback that fits their profile, whether as a starter or a backup.
“Look at his touchdownto-interception ratios. He makes a lot of good decisions,” said Davis. “And, in a lot of ways, he plays a lot like Mac plays. Athletically, they’re built similarly.”
Zappe, who is 6-1, 220 pounds, played most of his college career at FCS Houston Baptist before moving to FBS Western Kentucky of Conference USA as a graduate transfer in 2021.
He threw 62 touchdowns with 11 interceptions with the Hilltoppers during this past season.
Schedule fodder
• Teams in the AFC West (Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, Raiders) will be making 19 prime-time appearances collectively. The Chiefs, Chargers and Broncos have five prime-time dates set, with the Raiders having four.
Just for a comparison, teams in the AFC East have 13 games in front of a nationally televised audience. The Bills and Patriots both have five, with the Dolphins (2) and Jets (1) lagging behind.
The Detroit Lions, meanwhile, were the only team not awarded a prime-time game.
• The Patriots play five games on short weeks, which doesn’t exactly bode well. The Eagles are the only other team with a similar fate, per ESPN.
The abbreviated breaks will occur between Weeks 4 and 5, Weeks 7 and 8, Weeks 11 and 12, Weeks 14 and 15 and Weeks 15 and 16.
There also is a possibility for the Patriots to deal with a sixth short week, with the season finale against Buffalo set to be played either Saturday or Sunday.
• The Jets start the season by playing every team in the AFC North over the first four weeks. The Ravens, meanwhile, start out with four straight against the AFC East.
• The Patriots, along with the Buccaneers and Colts, are the only teams who have to start the season with two straight road games.
Pats PR staff wins award
Stacey James, Vice President of Media Relations at New England Patriots, was admittedly a little nervous when team owner Robert Kraft unexpectedly jumped in on a scheduled video call for the media with Nelson Agholor on Tuesday.
James wasn’t sure what was going on.
Kraft, however, had some good news he wanted to share with his PR chief.
Kraft informed James that the Pro Football Writers of America had named the Patriots’ Communication staff as winners of the 2022 Pete Rozelle Award, which is annually given to the staff that “consistently strives for excellence in its dealings and relationships with the media.”
“So well deserved, and I know better than anyone what you’ve gone through over the years,” Kraft said to James during the call. “You really deserve this award.”
James and his staff had been a finalist for the award seven times, including the past three seasons. It’s the first time the Patriots earned the honor.
Before leaving the session, Kraft called James “the ultimate mensch.”
As someone who has dealt with James, Aaron Salkin, Stephanie Burnham, Michael Jurovaty, and numerous others on the Patriots staff through the years, the group has always done its best to accommodate and assist the media.
Their work in providing players the past few years during COVID-19, especially with all the restrictions, was unmatched across the league.