Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A Senator Walker would be an insult to the state and the nation.

No one could have predicted…

This blog will pay for itself.

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

The next time the wall wtreet journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

T R E 4 5 O N

Republicans in disarray!

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Monday/Tuesday, August 24-25

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Monday/Tuesday, August 24-25

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… An analysis of anonymous cell phone data from Camber Systems, a firm that aggregates cell phone activity for health researchers, found that 61% of all the counties in the U.S. have been visited by someone who attended Sturgis, creating a travel hub that was comparable to a major U.S. city…

Health departments in four states, including South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wyoming, have reported a total of 81 cases among people who attended the rally. South Dakota health officials said Monday they had received reports of infections from residents of two other states — North Dakota and Washington. The Department of Health also issued public warnings of possible COVID-19 exposure at five businesses popular with bikers, saying it didn’t know how many people could have been exposed…

… Without a nationally-coordinated testing and tracing system, containing infections in a scenario like Sturgis is “almost impossible,” said Dr. Howard Koh, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health who worked at the Department of Health and Human Services under former President Barack Obama.

“We would need a finely orchestrated national system and we are far from that,” he said. “We are really witnessing a 50-state effort with all of them going in different directions right now.”…

The smaller (but still dangerously large) Laconia Bike Week is taking place right now. Fortunately, New Hampshire’s governor saw fit to impose at least *some* restrictions (no vendors, limited bar/restaurant capacity, masks ‘required’), so it seems like things are pretty sedate so far. Biggest test will be the final days next weekend…

Reader Interactions

30Comments

  1. 1.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s daily numbers. 11 new cases. Nine cases from local infection, all Malaysians: five from the Tawar cluster. one detected in pre-surgery screening, one screened upon presenting with symptoms, all in Kedah; one detected in targeted screening in Selangor; one screened on presenting with symptoms of symptom of severe acute respiratory infection in Perlis. Two imported cases, one Malaysian returning from the Philippines, one non-Malaysian returning from Indonesia. Cumulative reported total 9,285 cases.

    Six more patients recovered and were discharged, for a total of 8,971 patients recovered — 96.6% of the cumulative reported total. Active and contagious cases currently being isolated/treated in hospital rose to 189 patients; eight are in ICU, six of them on respirators.

    No new deaths since 31st July. Total remains at 25 deaths — 1.35% of the cumulative reported total, 1.37% of resolved cases.

    In other news, the targeted enhanced movement control order on the area surrounding the epicentre of the Sivagangga cluster, an area encompassing communities in Perlis and Kedah, will be lifted tomorrow, five days earlier than planned. DG of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah explained at his media briefing today that the area’s population have all been screened, with no new cases detected in the past two weeks.

  3. 3.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Yesterday, China reported 0 new domestic confirmed cases and 0 new domestic asymptomatic case, for the 4th day in a row.

    In Ürumqi, there are currently 160 confirmed and 49 asymptomatic cases, with 7 cases in serious condition. 23 confirmed cases recovered yesterday and were released from hospitals, 8 asymptomatic cases were released from medical quarantine, 5 serious cases improved to moderate conditions. There are 3,597 close contacts remaining under quarantine and medical observation. Ürumqi is starting to relax the tough restrictions on movement, with all residents of villages and compounds of 3 outlying rural countries, as well as case-free residential compounds of the 6 urban districts, being allowed into common areas of the residential compounds, and grocery and convenience stores in the compounds are allowed to open and sell to the residents within the compounds. The compounds remain under lock down.

    While the Ürumqi’s outbreak, at > 1K total cases (confirmed & asymptomatic), is bigger than those at Beijing/Dalian/Harbin/Mudanjiang/Jilin City, the government response has been much more restrictive, and information release much less transparent. The city went into total lock down very quickly, with all residents in all districts largely restricted to their homes for the past month plus (Wuhan style), rather than the much more targeted measures seen at Beijing and Dalian. Not only that, it appears other cities in Xinjiang (not sure if all cities) also went into lock downs at the same time, which remain in place, despite the fact that only a handful of cases have been exported from Ürumqi to date. These measures seem to be massive overkill relative to the size of the outbreak, with the attendant human and economic toll, and runs against the increasingly flexible and scalable responses elsewhere in China. Of course, Xinjiang has been the region where the CCP regime’s (particularly regional bureaucracy’s) authoritarian inclinations has run amok (even more than Tibet). I can see hints of grumbling on Chinese social media, comparing Xinjiang’s heavy handed response and lack of transparency unfavorably to that of Beijing and Dalian.

    At Dalian in Liaoning Province, 5 cases are currently in the hospital. There are 173 individuals remaining under quarantine.

    Yesterday, China reported 14 new imported confirmed cases, 16 imported asymptomatic cases:

    * Chengdu in Sichuan Province – 4 confirmed and 2 asymptomatic cases, all Chinese nationals returning from Iraq (via Doha)
    * Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 3 confirmed cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from the UAE, South Sudan and Argentina; 2 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from the UAE and South Sudan
    * Shenzhen in Guangdong Province – 6 asymptomatic cases, all Chinese nationals returning from Russia
    * Qingyuan in Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic cases, a Chinese national returning from the Philippines
    * Shanghai Municipality – 2 confirmed cases, a Chinese national returning from Japan, and an Indian crew member off a cargo ship
    * Xi’an in Shaanxi Province – 2 confirmed cases, both Chinese nationals returning from Tajikistan
    * Tianjin Municipality – 1 confirmed case (previously asymptomatic), a Filipino crew member off a cargo ship; 1 asymptomatic case, no information released
    * Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province – 1 confirmed and 1 asymptomatic cases, no information released
    * Dalian in Liaoning Province – 1 confirmed case, a Filipino crew member off a cargo ship
    * Xiamen in Fujian Province – 2 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from the US and the Philippines
    * Zhengzhou in Henan Province – 1 asymptomatic case, no information released

    Today, Hong Kong reported 9 new cases, 7 from local transmission, the first time new case count is single digits. Hong Kong University study also reported the first confirmed case of reinfection in the world. A 33 years old man was was diagnosed with COVID-19 in mid-Mar., and was discharged in Apr. He traveled to the UK and Spain in early Aug., and tested positive on re-entry into Hong Kong. Genomic analysis showed that the infections from Mar. and Aug. are two different strains, and with the current infection from a strain that is currently prevalent in Europe, and now the one that was prevalent in Hong Kong in Mar. The man probably thought having recovered from COVID-19 guarantees immunity, and thus would be safe to travel to Europe.

  4. 4.

    gkoutnik

    So reinfection (n=1) did not cause symptomatic disease.  Do we know if the reinfected person was infectious?  Could others get it from him while he had it the second time

    As usual, AL – thanks for all you do.

  5. 5.

    TS (the original)

    Thank you AL. I just wish more of those who voted for trump could see & understand what he does to everybody. That 57% of his party accept the pandemic deaths says so much about what trump is and how he gets support.

  6. 6.

    satby

    Ironic that the people who think religious exemptions allow their businesses to refuse service to other people also think that religious exemptions will force businesses to serve them.

    I’m actively rooting for those assholes to get it now.

  8. 8.

    Robert Sneddon

    Scotland — no new deaths of confirmed cases reported overnight, 44 new cases which is down even from the weekend figures. The Aberdeen outbreak seems to have been contained and only two of the new cases are reported there. A decision whether to lift or further modify the city-wide lockdown will be taken tomorrow.

    The number of confirmed cases originating from the food production plant outbreak in Coupar Angus has now reached 152 and is expected to increase but there doesn’t seem to have been wider community transmission — all the cases are either workers at the plant or immediate contacts, no tertiary infections have been confirmed outside that group.

    There’s been a big increase in demand for COVID-19 testing in Scotland, probably linked to the re-opening of schools. The online test booking system is glitching, offering some people appointments at centres hundreds of miles away or even across the border in England. These issues are being worked on, according to the government. Extra mobile testing units are being deployed, aimed at outbreaks and hotspots as they appear. They will add another 1200 tests a day capacity.

    Schools in Scotland will require pupils to wear masks at school in corridors and communal areas but, at the moment, not in classrooms. This edict goes into effect next Monday.

  9. 9.

    AM in NC

    I will not serve customers with a “religious exemption” in my stores. I’ll offer to bring their items out to them so they can still get what they want, but I will not let them inside to endanger my employees and other shoppers. They can sue me if they have a problem. Their delicate MAGA fee fees are not more important than everyone else’s health/life. It’s just childish bullshit. Show me where in their sacred texts mask-wearing is forbidden as some central tenet of the religion.

  10. 10.

    Another Scott

    I’m wondering how much we should trust the US numbers now given:

    • The hot spots are in areas with GOP leadership that wants to minimize the reported seriousness of the problem
    • The transfer to HHS has been bungled as expected
    • There’s been talk of sending the reporting for numbers back to CDC after they “upgrade” their system

    We *should* be getting better, even in GOP areas.  But are we?

    Grrr…

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  11. 11.

    different-church-lady

    “It’s been an incredible experience for me,” President Trump says, of being president. “It’s been an incredible experience, I think, for everyone.”

    Well, I can certainly say it’s put a deep strain on my credulity, yes.

  12. 12.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @Another Scott: I am struggling to see what exact measures TX and FL and AZ took to reduce Rt to < 1. Experience at Hong Kong and Japan do seem to suggest that even modest distancing measures and collective action (such universal masking), couple with a large percentage of the population taking matter into their own hands and self-isolate, can reduce Rt to < 1. However, such modest measures are not likely to fully suppress the epidemic. If any location stays at a relatively high base of dozens or low hundreds of cases per day, as soon as the distancing measures are relaxed and the population becomes more complacent, exponent growth returns. When the starting point is low hundreds of cases per day (as opposed to low single digits), it does not take long before the epidemic reaches thousands of cases a day again.

    There is a reason why China, New Zealand and Vietnam (and I think Australis is still trying) to going for full eradication in response to each new outbreak. They want to reset the clock as close to zero as possible. One can attempt to maintain and sustain infection rate of low hundreds of cases per day, and try to keep the lid on COVID-19 via combination of TTI and distancing restrictions, but that is a delicate balance and requires sustained vigilance by both the authorities and the population, for the long haul. Europe is proving how challenging that is.

  13. 13.

    mrmoshpotato

    @AM in NC: Religious exemptions now?  Jesus fucking Christ!  These assholes really want to meet their maker sooner than later, don’t they?

    ETA – at least they could be honest and wear a “Punch my face.  I’m a selfish asshole.” sign in public.

  14. 14.

    Boris Rasputin (the evil twin)

    I can’t watch the convention, as it makes me sick. Grigori and I have seen “Triumph of the Will” too often. We might just  settle in and watch “Titanic” again to cheer ourselves up.

    Pass the vodka.

  15. 15.

    Victor Matheson

    @AM in NC: If the pastor at my church tried to pull some shit like issuing these badges (which, to be fair, he wouldn’t try in a million years), it would a very unpleasant conversation the next time I saw him. The good news is is that conversation would be over zoom, limiting the chance that I would end up punching him in the nose.

  16. 16.

    different-church-lady

    @AM in NC: “If God told you you didn’t have to wear a mask, it must be because He wants to see you in person sometime soon.”

  17. 17.

    Johnny Gentle (famous crooner)

    I’m surprised republicans haven’t gone national with that “masks infringe on my religious liberty” bullshit. It combines the two things they love best: purposely refusing to abide by COVID-19 safety measures, and constant whining about imaginary religious victimization. I guess it’s only a matter of time.

  18. 18.

    Ruckus

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Look at the card she’s wearing in the tweet above. I believe if you read that correctly, the translation says exactly that. At the very least she is asking for something that reeks of special privilege – and I don’t believe she should be denied.

  19. 19.

    dnfree

    So it’s less cumbersome to wear that notification on a lanyard and argue with everyone than to just wear a mask?  Heck of a religion.

  21. 21.

    Citizen Alan

    Ironically, I would find it acceptable if 57% of Republicans got Covid-19 and died from it. I’d prefer more of them, but 57% would be an acceptable number.

  22. 22.

    chopper

    @AM in NC:

    you could always say it’s your deeply held religious belief that people wear fucking masks and shove a copy of the hobby lobby decision in their face.

  25. 25.

    Bill Arnold

    @AM in NC:
    Well, there’s Moses, who wore a veil so as to not expose the Israelites to the radiant glow of melding/being with (/channeling/hosting/avataring) a divine. This is technically known as “source control”. He took the veil off to go inside, but he was the lone human breathing inside so that was OK.
    Exodus 34:33-35

    33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.

  26. 26.

    Just Chuck

    I doubt that little placard would fly in Colorado.  You refuse to wear a mask, you get prosecuted.  There’s a reason that hotspot map has CO in grey.

  28. 28.

    cain

    @mrmoshpotato:

    @AM in NC: Religious exemptions now?  Jesus fucking Christ!  These assholes really want to meet their maker sooner than later, don’t they?

    I fail to see the exception – it is a virus – it is a public health issue. I don’t see how it stops them from worshipping or plying their faith at all to wear a mask. Even more bizarre they can’t check temperature either or any other signs of the virus?

    Yeah, they end up in a hospital – lets make sure they follow that to the letter – no medical needed. Just quarantine and that’s it.

  29. 29.

    Splitting Image

    @cain: 

    I fail to see the exception – it is a virus – it is a public health issue. I don’t see how it stops them from worshipping or plying their faith at all to wear a mask.

    The core principle of their faith is “You are not the boss of me.”

    Making them do anything they don’t wanna do is preventing them from plying their faith.

  30. 30.

    lgerard

    Those “religious exemption” things are pedaled by Peggy Hall (her pastor husband signs them) ,the self styled “Healthy American”.

    Her You tube channel is full of commenters with bizarre theories and obsessions ranging from the NWO to old favorites like MK-ULTRA. They are both funny and scary.

    And very dangerous

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