JUST IN: CDC Director Robert Redfield says at a Senate hearing he sees a #Covid19 vaccine being "generally available to the American public" in the "late second quarter, third quarter 2021" pic.twitter.com/8w2904TGhN
— Bloomberg QuickTake (@QuickTake) September 16, 2020
The best defense we currently have against this virus are the important mitigation efforts of wearing a mask, washing your hands, social distancing and being careful about crowds. #COVID19
— Dr. Robert R. Redfield (@CDCDirector) September 16, 2020
The active number of COVID-19 cases in the US continues to level off at just over 2.5 million. pic.twitter.com/2mn1HUw59A
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) September 17, 2020
I remember this headline:
"Kushner's coronavirus team shied away from a national strategy, believing that the virus was hitting Democratic states hardest and that they could blame governors" https://t.co/C09dT4xu1S
— Bryan Harnsberger Psy.D (@PSYCH_HYPE) September 16, 2020
Top ten US states for coronavirus deaths include the following won by Trump in 2016:
Texas
Florida
Pennsylvania
Michigan
Georgia— Susan Glasser (@sbg1) September 16, 2020
Trump: "If you take the blue states out, we’re at a level that I don’t think anybody in the world would be at. We’re really at a very low level."
Except!https://t.co/uxvgKFuShG pic.twitter.com/fhP5VcKs3G
— Philip Bump (@pbump) September 17, 2020
This entire fracas came just a couple hours after Joe Biden gave remarks warning the politicization of the administration's COVID-19 response could undermine public confidence in its actions. https://t.co/RLKBjIfQ5t
— Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) September 17, 2020
Bet Netanyahu and his entourage are just thrilled about this:
NEW: Multiple White House staff have tested positive for COVID-19 today. The White House press pool was just informed, but Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is not releasing any further information.
This comes less than 24 hours after international leaders met with President Trump.
— Travis Akers (@travisakers) September 16, 2020
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Red Cross warned that the novel coronavirus is driving discrimination towards vulnerable communities in Asia, including migrants and foreigners https://t.co/DJ3Vr2szyE pic.twitter.com/9FfpAuBfjQ
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 17, 2020
India is now second in the world with the number of reported coronavirus infections with over 5.1 million cases, behind only the United States. Experts say its official death toll is likely an undercount. https://t.co/5TAWfzIXXH
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 17, 2020
As the coronavirus rippled across Indonesia, it also carried a stigma that public health experts say has stopped people from getting tested in fear of being shunned, and complicated the response to the pandemic https://t.co/xkPOEPFxBh by @_KateLamb @stanleywidianto pic.twitter.com/WtLSLmEIaO
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 17, 2020
Why Singapore's COVID-19 death rate is the world's lowest https://t.co/fwqVeec3Kw @geddiejdk @RDchatters pic.twitter.com/9zpd5lwJ2G
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 17, 2020
A raging coronavirus outbreak is casting a shadow over the usually festive Jewish New Year as Israel faces a second nationwide lockdown. By @IlanBenZion https://t.co/UCC7Etg8Yk
— AP Middle East (@APMiddleEast) September 17, 2020
Medical workers in Spain's capital say they are experiencing an anxious sense of deja vu. Coronavirus cases are on the rise and intensive care units in Madrid are filling up again like they were before the height of the pandemic in March. https://t.co/ewE8mozOSf
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) September 16, 2020
Irish COVID-19 modeling group warns of exponential increase in cases https://t.co/YHY4RlHmYO pic.twitter.com/T9ARudbsZ8
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 16, 2020
Plans to ration Covid testing in England will prioritise healthcare and teachers https://t.co/VFt7OMxEgx
— The Guardian (@guardian) September 16, 2020
Australia's Victoria reports lowest COVID-19 cases since June https://t.co/ZMP7pbVZuH pic.twitter.com/2wEieGp6g1
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 17, 2020
Coronavirus: South Africa eases strict lockdown as cases drop https://t.co/ysDg7KCa26
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) September 17, 2020
Brazil registers 987 new deaths due to coronavirus https://t.co/WB3vtFf6h6 pic.twitter.com/GzAZulhenZ
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 17, 2020
Mexico reports 4,444 new coronavirus cases, 300 deaths https://t.co/WrpoS0ElbM pic.twitter.com/YRzEU8ne4m
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 17, 2020
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For a vaccine to be widely available in coming months, a long list of exceptionally difficult goals have to be met https://t.co/1w5YWb0HbD
— Bloomberg (@business) September 16, 2020
… Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc have headed out at a rapid clip. The early data look promising, and late-stage trials in tens of thousands of volunteers could produce a rapid answer.
But to deploy a vaccine widely by early next year, it’s worth keeping in mind what has to go right:
– One of the vaccines has to work.
– The vaccine that works has to be one of the handful that are already in late-stage trials.
– There can’t be a major safety concern or delay.
– The clinical trials have to generate strong evidence.
– The FDA has to accept that evidence and review it rapidly.
– The manufacturing has to go near perfectly.
– Hundreds of millions of doses must be delivered around the country, likely with some degree of low-temperature storage requirements.Even in vaccination efforts that the U.S. runs every year, it’s hard to meet the goal of wide uptake. For the 2017-2018 flu season, only 37% of Americans actually got a vaccine, according to the CDC. Many people get it at work, at school, at a drugstores or in hospitals –places that are largely closed or that many Americans are avoiding because of the pandemic…
Funds available for #COVID19 #vaccination in the USA right now are literally exponentially below what is needed. Unless a few $billion materialize, immunization in 2020 — if it occurs at all — will be a symbolic event, involving small numbers of first responders & HCWers. https://t.co/MHhUda2OfW
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) September 16, 2020
A slew of studies from around the world has reported a disturbing trend: since the coronavirus pandemic started, there has been a significant rise in the proportion of pregnancies ending in stillbirths. https://t.co/1CAVDGnCMz
— Nature (@nature) September 15, 2020
I don’t pretend to understand the full scientific details, but here’s a thread with an expert’s opinion on that Bannon-promoted ‘Chinese lab-made virus!!!1!’ story:
hoo boy.
this is not a good paper at all. it pains greatly me to have to debunk claims made by a former colleague whom i respected a lot, but… yeah. here we go. https://t.co/thOsR4VWbl
— Jasnah Kholin – ACAB (@wanderer_jasnah) September 15, 2020
it's like asking "if this virus has a regional pool in… i'unno, rural Mississippi, why did the outbreak start at Chicago O'Hare". it doesn't automatically mean lab release, much more likely it's due to high transit density.
— Jasnah Kholin – ACAB (@wanderer_jasnah) September 15, 2020
What makes it a bad paper? Not my area of expertise so insight helpful.
— Stephen Hoffman (@mdphdbfd) September 16, 2020
…claims it's labmade from a CoV scaffold that it could not be based off using a technique nobody would use to engineer a virus were they to even attempt such an endeavour, etc.
— Jasnah Kholin – ACAB (@wanderer_jasnah) September 16, 2020
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Almost 60% of business closures are now permanent, new Yelp data shows. https://t.co/d1AJKzrHP1
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 16, 2020
ABC News reports the Trump administration offered to provide the Big 10 with enough coronavirus testing to restart college football.
Meanwhile, the US is only conducting 62% of the daily testing experts say is needed to mitigate the spread of the virus.https://t.co/QH76RwOhcJ https://t.co/1Rd6rr26Xl
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) September 17, 2020
According to @leahjdouglas's daily tally: 52,018 meatpacking and food processing workers have contracted #COVID19 and 237 of those workers have died. Their "hero pay" has expired, and even at-risk workers are being called back to work—or will face firing. https://t.co/SvhCqrmD9Z
— Ted Genoways (@TedGenoways) September 16, 2020
“I trust Iowans to do the right thing, and I think they are doing the right thing.” Gov. Kim Reynolds stands firm in her opposition to requiring masks or allowing local cities and counties to enforce mask mandates. https://t.co/YGN0RsBqBI
— AP Central U.S. (@APCentralRegion) September 16, 2020
Sometimes protest works!
“Due to concerns about long lines and insufficient indoor space required to maintain social distancing, we’re forcing students who want to vote to cram onto crowded shuttle buses to vote somewhere other than our 762-acre campus—including the stadium where we’re playing football.” https://t.co/ZkBF8HjnZT
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) September 16, 2020
Facing fierce criticism, UGA says it will reconsider its decision to restrict in-person early voting on campus and floats the idea of using Stegeman Coliseum as a voting site. #gapol https://t.co/YU2nMSzold
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) September 17, 2020
Amir Khalid
Malaysia’s daily numbers. 21 new cases. The cumulative reported total is 10,052 cases.
16 cases from local infection. 15 Malaysians: seven in Kedah, comprising six from the Sungai private-hospital cluster and one person in an enhanced movement control order zone; four in Sabah, comprising one from the Benteng Lahad Datu police lockup cluster, one screened during admission to hospital, one from a new cluster named the Selamat cluster, and one screened in a ship sign-off, whatever that means. One in Sarawak, screened at an international port of entry. Two in Penang state, close contacts of another case. One in Selangor. One non-Malaysian from the Benteng Lahad Datu cluster.
Five imported cases, all Malaysians, returning from China, Pakistan, India, and New Zealand (two).
16 more patients recovered and were discharged, for a total of 9,250 patients recovered — 92.02% of the cumulative reported total. 674 active and contagious cases are currently being isolated/treated in hospital; 13 are in ICU, two of them on respirators.
There have been no new Covid-19 deaths since 1st September, and the total remains at 128 deaths — 1.27% of the cumulative reported total, 1.36% of resolved cases.
Chris T.
Can “Trump has Covid” be our October Surprise?
OzarkHillbilly
Blech. It gets harder every day to convince myself that it isn’t well past time our species went extinct.
NotMax
Worldwide reported cases passed 30 million sometime today. Cumulative total reported deaths just under 950,000.
India creeping up on 100,000 new reported cases per day.
U.S. total reported deaths will have reached 200,000 by the time Rosh Hashanah arrives on Friday (predicted this exact time frame earlier – not that am in any way proud of being spot on with it).
raven
It’s pouring from Sally and our friend and neighbor has to get to work ad doesn’t drive so I’m going to mask up and take her in.
WereBear
@Chris T.: I don’t know how he’s dodged it all this time, but I’m sure that will be revealed at some point.
NotMax
@raven
Chi va piano va sano e va lontano. (ref.).
Amir Khalid
@Chris T.:
It could be low-ranking staff who don’t get face time with POTUS.
WereBear
@Amir Khalid: I also think they seal him up in his rooms to watch Fox News for 8 hours a day.
I know I’d prefer that…
OzarkHillbilly
@Amir Khalid: Stop raining on my fantasy.
raven
Stegman Coliseum is where I received both of my UGA degrees. It was built for both sports and livestock shows!
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: Hmmmm… In which category does “voting” get put in?
Amir Khalid
I know college football in a big deal in America, but prioritising college football players over the general population for Covid-19 testing is not a good way to allocate scarce medical resources.
YY_Sima Qian
Yesterday, China reported 0 new domestic confirmed cases and 0 new domestic asymptomatic case, 912 new imported confirmed cases and 14 imported asymptomatic cases and 1 imported suspect case:
Authorities at Ruili in Yunnan Province updated the progress of their mass screening campaign since the 2 imported cases were detected in the community on 9/12, with support of resources from Dehong Prefecture (of which Ruili is part), Yunnan Province and national levels: increased qualified testing labs from 2 to 12, increased the number of testing systems from 2 to 54, increased maximum daily testing capacity from 2,500 to 250K, received emergency supply of 300K test kits, collected samples from 80,311 individuals (as of 1:30 PM on 9/16 local time), and have received results from 13,182 individuals (all negative).
Today, Hong Kong reported 9 new cases, 6 from local transmission, 3 do not have clear sources of transmission identified.
raven
@Amir Khalid: Right, but it crucial to do the same thing for soccer.
YY_Sima Qian
@Amir Khalid: The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatly flashlight that exposes pathologies of every polity, and the true values judgments of individuals, organizations and governments.
I don’t want to see US government officials riding high horses around the world sermonizing about democracy, human rights, Enlightenment values in the future, even from a Biden administrations, until the debilitating domestic ills have been substantially addressed. The preaching was always hypocritical coming from the US government (most governments, really), but now the veneer of credibility has been shredded into oblivion. There are much better ambassadors for these values: Germany, Scandinavia ex-Sweden, South Korea, New Zealand.
raven
Champions League
”
How often will players be tested?
All of the players and backroom staff members are tested three days or two days before leaving their country. They are tested again on the eve of their first match. UEFA will receive test results at least six hours before the kickoff.
What happens if players show COVID-19 symptoms?
Any player or coach that develops COVID-19 symptoms must immediately self-isolate and contact the authorities.”
Chris Johnson
Poetic injustice: Trump’s an asymptomatic carrier and has been all this time, and what with his dementia there is no chance of convincing him of that, OR convincing his rabble either.
Sloane Ranger
During Trump’s press conference/propaganda rally yesterday, he was asked about this. He asked someone who told him it was only one person. Have they had to “re-adjust” their figures since then?
Now, onto the UK’s figures for yesterday. We had 3991 new cases reported yesterday. The number of new cases continues to grow steadily. Broken down by Home Nation, England 3393 new cases, Northern Ireland 129, Wales 199 and Scotland (as previously reported by Robert Sneddon) had 267.
There were 20 new deaths, 17 in England, 2 in Northern Ireland and 1 in Scotland. Also we now have 901 people in hospital, 115 of whom are on ventilators. Unable to break these figures down by nation.
From Friday, restrictions will be increased in most of North East England (Northumberland, Tyneside, Durham, Newcastle on Tyne and surrounding areas). These will include a 10pm curfew for bars/pubs, table only service in restaurants and a ban on people meeting with people outside their own household.
Also, the Rhondda Cynon Taf area of Wales will see a local lockdown with people not being able to enter or leave the area “without a reasonable excuse”. No mixing of households and pubs etc closing at 11pm. This is due to a local spike in cases which has been traced to a social club coach trip to Doncaster Races which apparently turned into a pub crawl, stopping at every pub on the way back!
As I said yesterday, I have run out of patience with these people. Their arrogance and selfishness ruins everything for everyone else. They are the sort of people who would have refused to carry their gas mask cases during WWII because they didn’t colour co-ordinate with their outfit or close the blackout curtains during the Blitz because they made them feel claustrophobic!
Robert Sneddon
Scotland — the number of cases here continues to rise, 290 new confirmed cases and a rising test positivity rate of 4%. No new deaths reported. The R value is estimated to be 1.4, well above what it was even a few weeks ago. There’s still worries about testing backlogs and prompt return of results.
Amir Khalid
@raven:
As a football fan, I do not support prioritising professional players over the general public for access to scarce Covid-19 testing resources. They get prioritised anyway because sportsball is big business, and big business interests get to force their way to the front of the line. I’m not happy about that.
Chelsea FC manager Frank Lampard said a few months ago that it wouldn’t sit right with him if the deserving were deprived of testing so players could be tested and football could continue. I agree with that. I also feel that if testing needs to be rationed in England, as The Guardian reports, professional sports there must take its place in the queue with everyone else. If the English Premier League can’t fairly secure enough tests to continue, it shouldn’t get to hog them and deprive everyone else.
VOR
@Amir Khalid: agree. I hope they got the testing promise in writing; I certainly would not trust Trump’s word. Football brings in a lot of money, especially at a Big Ten school, and I’m sure all those colleges are facing big budget deficits in their athletic departments.
YY_Sima Qian
Update from Ruili in YunnanProvince: as of 5:30 PM on 9/17, samples have been collected from 246,686 individuals in the city (I think that is close to everyone), have results for 95,362 individuals, all negative. The rest of results will probably come in by the end of business tomorrow. It would appear the border town lucked out. No work if any other undocumented entries from Myanmar have been found.
YY_Sima Qian
Here is a recent preprint published by a team of researchers at the National University of Singapore assessing the feasibility of international cold chain logistics as a vector for transmitting viable SARS-CoV-2 virus and causing new outbreaks at places were COVID-19 has been eradicated.
Seeding of outbreaks of COVID-19 by contaminated fresh and frozen food
Their finding is that viable virus can survive for 21 days on the surfaces of frozen meat, which can then infect workers who subsequent process the imported meat, or individuals who prepare the meals with the contaminated meat and who failed to ensure proper hygiene. So, fomite transmission via cold chain logistics may not be a significant vector, but it should not be dismissed by places that believe they have eradicated COVID-19, and wish to keep it that way.