Dr. Michael Osterholm. Photo: Stuart Isett for Fortune Brainstorm Health Michael Osterholm has spent the past year as afraid of getting Covid as anyone else. “You know how many times I’ve woken up in the morning and said, I wonder if today’s the day I could get infected?” One of the world’s leading epidemiologists, he is reassured by the fact that he doesn’t go anywhere—“I’m the guy who has the same tank of gas in his car that he had three months ago”—but he, too, is desperate to be done with the pandemic. “I miss my grandkids,” he told Intelligencer from his Minneapolis-area home, his assured voice turning wistful. “My God , I miss my grandkids.” Osterholm, 67, is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and has spent the past four decades studying epidemics, but he became nationally famous a year ago for his stark predictions during the first shocking wave of the pandemic in the U.S. “In April, I said, ‘These … [Read more...] about The Pandemic’s Dr. Doom Bets It All
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Here’s why the US has more tornadoes than any other country
(CNN) The US averages over 1,150 tornadoes every year. That's more than any other country. In fact, it's more than Canada, Australia and all European countries combined. Within the US, every state has had at least one tornado, and some have dozens each year. The US is special in terms of producing so many tornadoes, especially violent ones. In the US, the average number of tornado fatalities per year is 73. But in Europe, where the tornadoes are usually much weaker, the fatalities are estimated to be between 10 and 15 annually. Some states are deadlier than others Read More Texas on average has 140 tornadoes every year --the most of any state. Kansas, Florida, Oklahoma, and Nebraska round out the top five. But the total number of tornadoes does not always tell the whole story. For example, despite Alabama having on average 42 tornadoes per year -- more than three times fewer than Texas -- it is at the top of the list for tornado fatalities. … [Read more...] about Here’s why the US has more tornadoes than any other country
