Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Second rate reporter says what?

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

You cannot shame the shameless.

Republicans in disarray!

This really is a full service blog.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

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

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Thursday / Friday, August 27-28

COVID-19 Coronavirus Update: Thursday / Friday, August 27-28

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  3. 3.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s daily numbers. 10 new cases. Two cases from local infection: one Malaysian in Kedah, symptomatic person screened, one non-Malaysian in Selangor, screened in detention. (Police detention? Immigration? Ministry of Health tweet is not clear.) Eight imported cases: one Malaysian, returning from India; seven non-Malaysians, arriving from India (five), Indonesia, and the Philippines. The cumulative reported total is 9,306 cases.

    36 more patients recovered and were discharged, for a total of 9,030 patients recovered — 97.0% of the cumulative reported total. This brings active and contagious cases currently being isolated/treated in hospital down from yesterday’s 177 patients to just 151; eight are in ICU, six of them on respirators.

    No new deaths since 31st July. The total remains at 125 deaths, 1.34% of the cumulative reported total and 1.37% of resolved cases.

    Two hours from now, at 8pm local time (8am EDT), PM Muhyiddin Yassin will make a TV announcement regarding the current Recovery Movement Control Order, which is scheduled to end on Monday, 31st August. My guess is, he’ll announce an extension.

  5. 5.

    satby

    Trump spoke last night to approximately 1200 unmasked people in close proximity to each other in his audience. Just about the same number of people who die of covid each day on average. Quite a visual, when you think about it.

  12. 12.

    Brachiator

    Food processing plants, in the US and elsewhere, seem to continue to be problem areas.

    Merced County health officials announced on Thursday they are shutting down the Foster Farms facility in Livingston due to an uncontrolled COVID-19 outbreak.

    So far, 358 of the employees at the facility have tested positive and eight of its employees have died because of the coronavirus.Merced County health officials say the facility is a hotspot for the virus in the county and a source of large proportion of the area’s COVID-related deaths.

    It is insane that company officials here apparently did not take sufficient steps to control the virus.

    According to a statement released by the county, for Foster Farms employees, the case fatality rate is 2.2% while it’s 1.3% for the rest of Merced County.

    The outbreak started back on June 29 and the county says that it made trips to the facility and issued two formal directives to the company, ordering it to increase testing and implement safety measures.

    However, it says those directives were not followed and spread of the coronavirus has continued, leading to the order to close.Authorities have ordered it to close until the outbreaks are under control and it can reopen safely.

    I’ve read elsewhere that these issues regarding meat processing facilities help account for a rise in beef and chicken prices. Also, more people may be trying the “impossible burger” meat alternatives.

    But more important is the impact of this on the people who work at these places.  The people who scream that they want to get the economy back to “normal” don’t seem to care about changes needed to make work places safe.

  13. 13.

    Robert Sneddon

    Scotland — Nicola Sturgeon confirms 51 new cases of COVID-19, a test positivity rate of 0.6%. No new deaths of people confirmed to have COVID-19. Eleven of the new cases are connected to the food processing plant outbreak in Coupar Angus but there’s been no tertiary spread outside workers and immediate family. In the case of the special-needs school in Dundee, in total there are 36 cases, two more than yesterday. 22 are staff members, 11 are contacts and three are pupils in the same class. Aberdeen has had no new traced cases overnight linked to the original outbreak a couple of weeks ago and the Government is confident it is has been brought under control. The small outbreak in Hawick in the Borders has another four cases and more tracing and testing effort is being brought to bear in the area.

     

    Two more countries, Jamaica and the Czech Republic have been moved from “travel corridor” status to a requirement for quarantine on return to Scotland from those nations, starting tomorrow (Saturday). Cuba has been moved to “no quarantine required” status.

     

    Generally Scotland seems to have moved from containment when the number of cases was over a thousand a day to whack-a-mole operations now, detecting and coming down hard on local outbreaks before they can become more widespread. They’re willing to take different approaches depending on the situation — Aberdeen was locked down hard for a couple of weeks and the Dundee school was closed promptly but there’s no lockdown in Coupar Angus around the food processing plant, instead there’s direct testing of contacts and close family and quarantine/self-isolation.

  14. 14.

    WereBear

    @Brachiator:

    But more important is the impact of this on the people who work at these places.  The people who scream that they want to get the economy back to “normal” don’t seem to care about changes needed to make work places safe.

     
    Because they don’t care. All of us are expendable.

  16. 16.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Yesterday, China reported 0 new domestic confirmed cases and 0 new domestic asymptomatic case, for the 7th day in a row.

    At Ürumqi in Xinjiang “Automomous” Region, there are currently 93 confirmed and 35 asymptomatic cases, with no cases in serious condition. 14 confirmed cases recovered yesterday and were discharged from hospitals, 3 asymptomatic cases were released from medical quarantine. There are 1,984 close contacts remaining under quarantine and medical observation. 

    Ürumqi will conduct mass screening of “key” communities (likely meaning those that had cases or clusters) one more time, and then start further phased loosening of restrictions. Some of those poor folk have probably been tested 3, 4 or 5 times already. The COVID-19 prevention guidelines issued by the China National Health Commission says a jurisdiction only deemed Medium Risk if there is active cases, and High Risk only if there is cluster or community transmission. Risk levels have be adjusted down if there has been no new cases for 14 days. The infectious disease response level align with the risk level. By those standards, of most of Xinjiang did not have to implement significantly more restrictive distancing measures, let along full lock downs, other than to guard against introductions from Ürumqi. Most of the residential compounds in Ürumqi should have been able to have lock downs lifted days ago, given the whole city has not had any new cases for well over a week, and no community transmission for much longer (with new cases coming from people already under quarantine).

    Talking with colleagues in China, there may be two major motivations to the massive overkill response at Xinjiang. First, as I mentioned before, the authorities are accustomed to following their most authoritarian inclination, and given free hand by Beijing, in making public policy, so COVID-19 is no exception. Second, right now all regional leaders are primarily judged on their COVID-19 response. If the economy suffers, and popular discontent rises, in the short term, the leaders will be reprimanded but not severely punished (as long as the economic and human costs do not intensify and become prolonged). However, if they loosen restrictions and a new cluster develops, they are liable to be raked over the coals by public opinion and get dismissed by Beijing. So, excessive blanket policies are the politically safe options to take. It may also indicate that the local health authorities do not have as good a picture of the dynamics of the outbreak as those at Dalian or Beijing.

    At Dalian in Liaoning Province, 2 cases have been discharged from hospitals, and 2 cases remaining under medical care. 33 close contacts remain under quarantine.

    Yesterday, China reported 9 new imported confirmed cases, 16 imported asymptomatic cases, 1 imported suspect case:

    • Chengdu in Sichuan Province – 4 confirmed cases (2 previously asymptomatic), 2 Chinese nationals returning from Singapore, 1 from Iraq via Doha and 1 from the Philippines; 1 asymptomatic case, – Chinese nationals returning from the Philippines via Phnom Penh
    • Shanghai Municipality – 3 confirmed cases, 2 Filipino crew members of a cargo ship and a Chinese national each returning from India; 1 suspect case, no information released
    • Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Tanzania: 2 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from the US and Indonesia
    • Shenzhen in Guangdong Province – 6 asymptomatic cases, 4 Chinese nationals returning from Russia and 2 from Mexico
    • Foshan in Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese National returning from the Philippines
    • Zhanjiang Port in Guangdong Province – 1 asymptomatic cases, a Filipino crew member off a cargo ship
    • Xiamen in Fujian Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from the Philippines; 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning from the US
    • Fuzhou in Fujian Province – 2 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from the US and Indonesia
    • Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province – 1 asymptomatic cases, a Chinese national returning from India
    • Kunming  in Yunnan Province – 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese National returning from India

    Today, Hong Kong reported 13 new cases, 10 from local transmission, 3 of whom do not have clear source of transmission. Another 10 cases are preliminarily confirmed.

  18. 18.

    Brachiator

    A note about masks

    But if 95 percent of people started wearing masks in public, more than 69,000 lives could be saved.

    I usually work from home, and try to cut down as much as possible on going out, but this week I had to run some necessary errands in the Los Angeles/Hollywood area. For part of the excursion I also had to take public transportation.  Fortunately, people tried to maintain social distancing.

    But I also noted that while women consistently wore masks (and the rules for LA County recommend masks when people are out in public, not just when they enter stores). But some men wore bandanas or kerchiefs, even when someone offered them masks.  Also, a number of men would wear masks over their mouths, but would insist on leaving their noses unmasked.  I don’t know if this was some kind of subliminal displacement of a penis display, but I noticed a significant number of men doing this, over a significant area of county cities.

    People are required to wear masks if they get on a bus or commuter train, and I noticed the same thing here.  Women were compliant, some men had to stick their noses out, and a couple of men wore masks, but pulled them off after they got on the bus.

    I also noticed a number of eateries with outdoor seating.  Some places were pretty busy, but I also observed that there were sometimes too many tables too close together, and people sitting too close to each other, talking loudly.

    By contrast, a recent BBC news story suggests that there is some focus on trying to contain the virus.

    A man and his companion were escorted off a flight when he received a text saying he had tested positive for coronavirus.
    The passengers had just boarded the Ryanair service to Pisa, Italy, from Stansted Airport when the message came through.

    After alerting cabin crew, the man and his travel partner were taken to an isolation area at the terminal.

    Ryanair said both passengers were seated for only 10 minutes.

    The flight on Wednesday was delayed by one hour and 20 minutes while seats and overhead cabins were disinfected.

    And I wonder whether Americans would be willing to adapt these rules recently laid down in Scotland.

    Police will have the power to break up house parties with more than 15 people from Friday in a bid to reduce transmission of Covid-19.
    Health officials have warned such gatherings could present “high-risk super-spreader environments”.

    First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the move was necessary in anticipation of a rise in indoor gatherings as winter approached.

    And she said taking action now could prevent stricter lockdown measures.

    The measures were first announced last week and the new limit was confirmed on Thursday.

    Under current guidance, no more than eight people from a maximum of three different households should be meeting indoors.

     

  20. 20.

    YY_Sima Qian

    I just returned from a short business trip to Xi’an in northwestern China. Over the past month and half, I have also visited Shenzhen on the southern coast (next to Hong Kong), Xiamen on the Southeastern coast (across the Taiwan Strait from Taiwan), Shanghai on the eastern coast. The consistent trend at these places, along with Wuhan, is increasing return to normal, a new normal that is not too alien from the old one. The flights are 90% full, although the number of flights are still noticeably down, and the tickets are cheap! The trains are nearly full as well, again the number of services seems to be lower, and the prices has not budged! The majority of people do not bother wearing masks outdoors any more (guidance from health authorities is that masking is optional in outdoor, non-crowded conditions), though it is still required in mass transportation, taxis, and large shopping malls and office towers. Vehicle traffic is higher than pre-COVID, due to more people driving, instead of taking public transportation. Foot traffic is getting crowded again, at somewhat reduced level than before. There are waiting lines outside of restaurants again, with not much additional distancing measures for those dining in. The chain eateries have survived quite well. More of the small mom and pop shops have closed, but new eateries are taking over some of the vacant spots. Movies have returned to 50% capacity seating, concerts, plays and shows, too. Someone coughing no longer trigger a stampede in the other direction.

    Green health code and temperature checks are still required in most major establishments and all mass transportation stations, and every province has its own version of health code that is not in sync with those of other jurisdictions, and some of the inland provinces do not recognize the green codes from other places. Most of them rely upon self-filled in information on health status and travel history when initially setting up the account. There is no evidence that these health code APPs are actually collecting granular personal travel and spending history, thus appear to be much less intrusive than the ones that dive into credit card spending in South Korea and Singapore, and the one that rely upon blue tooth proximity sensing in Germany.

    Even Dalian has returned to normal for almost a week. The exception are the poor residents of Xinjiang. They will probably remain under some restrictions for a couple of more weeks.

  21. 21.

    Amir Khalid

    Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s announcement tonight was pretty much what I expected: the current Recovery Movement Control Order is extended to 31st December. This allows the Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases Act 1988, the law authorising the Government’s actions during the Covid-19 pandemic, to remain in effect for the duration.

    Muhyiddin also said the Government is negotiating with manufacturers to ensure a reliable and affordable supply of face masks for the public. In addition, the Government has accepted the Health Ministry’s recommendation to increase penalties for non-compliance with RMCO restrictions, and is working to decide by how much.

  22. 22.

    Amir Khalid

    @Brachiator:

    Also, a number of men would wear masks over their mouths, but would insist on leaving their noses unmasked. I don’t know if this was some kind of subliminal displacement of a penis display, but I noticed a significant number of men doing this, over a significant area of county cities.

    Who do these guys think they are, Jimmy Durante?

  24. 24.

    Jinchi

    WH Brushes Off COVID Concerns At Trump Speech: ‘Everybody Is Going To Catch This Thing Eventually’

    So we’re back to the herd immunity strategy, which they only ever pretended to abandon. All the talk about vaccines and cures is thrown out the window. Of course this perfectly explains Trump’s demand to fully open schools, his celebration of rightwinger protesters against mask mandates and his constant attempts to cripple testing, even though that is the number one means for getting control of the outbreak. He’s not trying to contain the virus. He has always embraced the herd immunity strategy. He really just doesn’t want his numbers to go up.

  25. 25.

    StringOnAStick

    As a former dental professional, it drives me nuts seeing photos of people with masks that have the metal nose piece strip, but they haven’t bothered to mould the metal to the bridge of their nose to get a tighter seal.  Some just put a minor dent in it, and that’s not good enough.

    All of us should be wearing some form of eye protection AND a mask; plain old seasonal colds are spread around by getting enough viral particles in your eyes. I recall a CDC scientist thinking he got it via that route from a plane trip while he was masked early in all this.

    Here’s the hint: if while wearing glasses or goggles and a mask you experience fogging when you exhale, your mask has not been properly fitted to the bridge of your nose and you’re expelling unfiltered air just like some macho guy wearing a bandana.   Don’t do that!

  27. 27.

    Ohio Mom

    I’m beginning to realize I read Anne Laurie’s daily Covid posts as a way to put my unhappiness at being mostly confined at home and being denied so many enjoyable activities in perspective. I’m really one of the lucky ones, so far at least.

  28. 28.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Brachiator: …a number of men would wear masks over their mouths, but would insist on leaving their noses unmasked. I don’t know if this was some kind of subliminal displacement of a penis display, but I noticed a significant number of men doing this, over a significant area of county cities.

    I’ve seen women do the same, so I doubt it’s a “penis display.” When I have (gently) mentioned to some of them that the mask isn’t doing a lot of good worn like that, they claim they “can’t breathe” with the nose covered. I’ve suggested they get in the habit of exhaling through the mouth CPAP-style – they may not care to go to the trouble of protecting themselves but at least they can try & protect others.

    There is one other thing I’ve noticed: If you wear eyeglasses & enter air-conditioning, they tend to fog up for a couple of seconds after exhale. No doubt many find that irritating. (So do I but I’ve learned to wait, or to exhale through the mouth.)

  29. 29.

    Ohio Mom

    TBF, I also have moments when I think “everybody is going to catch this thing eventually.” But I do so in absolute horror, not with a shrug of nonchalance.

  30. 30.

    Robert Sneddon

    @Amir Khalid: Have Scotland’s professional footballers been behaving themselves since that final warning from the First Minister?

    There’s been no recent reports in the press about Scottish footballers or other sportsmen and sportswomen being tested positive for COVID-19 or being caught dodging the restrictions in place. It has been made VERY clear to all involved that shielding, testing and precautions for travel, training and matches are not a PR exercise that can be side-stepped for a night out with the boys and nobody will care.

     

    There’s a major rugby match being held this evening at Murrayfield, just down the road from where I live in Edinburgh. It’s the third deciding leg of the 1872 Cup competition between Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby, postponed from the spring. Scottish Rugby are, as an experiment, permitting 700 spectators for this match, unlike regular club rugby matches which have been played behind closed doors since the beginning of the season. They do have the advantage that social distancing is possible since Murrayfield stadium is the fifth-largest sports stadium in Britain with a normal capacity of 67,000.

  31. 31.

    trnc

    If Eric Trump observed a minute of silence for each American who has died of Covid during his father’s presidency through today, he wouldn’t speak until 2021.

    Might as well, since he plans to take the 5th for anything that might be true.

  33. 33.

    Jay

    Washing your glasses with soapy water, leaving the soapy water to dry as a film, then lightly polishing the film down, prevents/reduces  fogging.

    it’s an old surgeon’s trick.

  34. 34.

    Skepticat

    If Eric Trump observed a minute of silence for each American who has died of Covid during his father’s presidency through today, he wouldn’t speak until 2021.

    And that would be much, much too soon.

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