Friday Charts

A few interesting charts I found interesting in the last week or so.

We keep hearing how important masks are to curb the pandemic.

However, it is hard to find any studies or data to support that view. 

For example, here is a chart that compares mask usage nationally compared to daily positive cases.

Do you see any correlation that says they work?

Source: https://twitter.com/wesbury/status/1367881664739819521/photo/1

Here is a chart that compares North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa (no mask mandates currently) with Minnesota (which continues to mandate masks) regarding daily Covid hospitalizations.

North Dakota hospitalizations have decreased 75% and Iowa 47% since mask mandates in those states were discontinued.

Do masks work as advertised?

I guess Minnesota needs to double mask.

Source: https://twitter.com/covid_clarity/status/1369352786404651009

Japan is a country where many used masks during flu season even before Covid arrived.

Mask compliance in Japan has been 95%-98% on a consistent basis through most of the pandemic.

Source: https://twitter.com/ianmSC/status/1366148529983426560/photo/2

Last spring and summer we were told that Japan's use of masks was why they were avoiding a large number of cases and deaths from Covid.

What happened?

Source: https://twitter.com/ianmSC/status/1366148529983426560/photo/2

Perhaps they should have double masked?

I am still trying to understand how Asia and Africa which are home to 75% of the world's population have almost no deaths from Covid compared to North American and Europe.

Source: https://twitter.com/Humble_Analysis/status/1369358024368791552/photo/1

Many schools continue to be closed to classroom instruction even though a child age 5-14 is 15 times more likely to die in a vehicle accident and 10 times more likely to commit suicide than die from Covid.

Source: Scientific American
https://twitter.com/bgurley/status/1367554803652382721/photo/1

Italy has been facing a demographic crisis for a number of years as its birth rate has been declining year after year.

Italy's fertility rate had been in the range of 1.4 before 2020 meaning the average woman in Italy had 1.4 children in her lifetime. A 2.1 rate is necessary to maintain a stable population.

2020 only exacerbated the trends in deaths and births in Italy in 2020.

If these trends continue it will not be long before there are no Italians in Italy.

Source: https://twitter.com/morganhousel/status/1367466615218921476/photo/1

Joe Biden has not helped anyone who needs to put gasoline in their vehicle.

Source: https://twitter.com/Tony__Heller/status/1367118467334217735/photo/1

It might to be a good time to list your house for sale in a number of American cities.

I was surprised that New York City does not have higher inventory considering reports of number of people leaving city. Most leaving must have been renters.

Housing Inventory for Sale (2017-2021)
Source: https://twitter.com/bellmancapital/status/1365577816872529923/photo/1

How about those $1,400 Covid "relief" payments that were signed into law today by Joe Biden that are supposed to help people make ends meet and stimulate the economy?

Bank of America did a survey and found that most people stated they do not plan to spend the money.

79% of high income earners (over $120,000 household income ) say they plan to save and invest it.

An incredible 53% of those earning less than $30,000 say they will do the same.

Why is the stock market rising?

Why are house prices increasing so much?

When you have so much free money floating around it has to go somewhere.