Dr. Peter Hotez: ‘We’re going to move towards 2,000 deaths a day … Within a few weeks, COVID-19 will be the single leading cause of death on a daily basis in the United States.’ pic.twitter.com/T4TMiKBCCp
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) November 18, 2020
DEVELOPING: All 50 US states have reported an increase in coronavirus cases from over the past 14 days, latest @NBCNews data shows. https://t.co/Sfuu5iPxwr
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 17, 2020
Today #COVID19 deaths in the US were at the highest level since May 14.
And the rapid and widespread increase in cases & hospitalizations countrywide portends many more deaths in the coming months.
At the worst stage of this pandemic, we have a deadly abdication of leadership. pic.twitter.com/GJp8ZeiESg
— Craig Spencer MD MPH (@Craig_A_Spencer) November 18, 2020
The graphic history of Coronavirus cases in the US.
Really don’t want to see the next few weeks. pic.twitter.com/VGYIAtmOT8
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) November 17, 2020
Senator Sherrod Brown is a mensch:
"I don't need your instruction"
US senators Sherrod Brown and Dan Sullivan clash over the wearing of face masks in the chamberhttps://t.co/RNyhzWoTqr pic.twitter.com/M45QsbhuXK
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 17, 2020
New developments on vaccines and immunity have boosted our hopes for an end to this pandemic, but we can't let our guard down yet—the next few months will be hard. I unpack the latest Covid epidemiology and research. https://t.co/JXAJOGgwZ1
— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrTomFrieden) November 18, 2020
======
Global daily coronavirus deaths cross record of 10,733 single-day deaths – @Reuters tally https://t.co/bc8A123CIy pic.twitter.com/VFZYcgp6im
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 18, 2020
10 countries with recent covid surges.
1 going in the wrong direction. pic.twitter.com/WHDnDUXh5C— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) November 17, 2020
Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 17,561 to 833,307: RKI https://t.co/vSWPhqTpBy pic.twitter.com/gFm66U8kZH
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 18, 2020
The announcement spells out that it had only been possible to avoid an overload until now by increasing the number of beds, postponing elective surgeries and transferring patients to other cantons. https://t.co/VSebNZIluX
— Kai Kupferschmidt (@kakape) November 17, 2020
The Netherlands is easing coronavirus measures amid falling infection rates. Zoos, swimming pools, cinemas, museums, libraries and other venues can open from midnight Wednesday after a two-week closure. https://t.co/CzXg4zPbFk
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) November 17, 2020
As coronavirus surges in Italy's south, many are fleeing the region's struggling health care system to find better treatment in northern hospitals. https://t.co/f7VBxz9m6g
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) November 18, 2020
Turkey says additional coronavirus measures will take effect from Nov. 20 https://t.co/xAnvN3o3lm pic.twitter.com/FUYvL7GVjB
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 18, 2020
Russia confirmed 20,985 Covid-19 cases and a record-breaking 456 deaths Wednesday, bringing its official number of cases to 1,991,998 https://t.co/srotXEMm7g
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) November 18, 2020
Russian President Vladimir Putin pushed for the four other BRICS nations to mass-manufacture and distribute coronavirus vaccines developed by Russia during an online summit Tuesdayhttps://t.co/dfoFgqwhtF
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) November 18, 2020
Authorities in Tokyo announce nearly 500 new cases of the coronavirus, the biggest daily increase in the Japanese capital since the pandemic began. Japan, preparing to host next summer's Olympics, has witnessed a spike in infections. https://t.co/a0L36m3qxP
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 18, 2020
South Korea registers its largest daily increase in coronavirus infections in nearly three months as it gets set to tighten social distancing rules in the greater Seoul area. https://t.co/cfEctnluUR
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 18, 2020
Coronavirus-prevention success story Taiwan to tighten restrictions https://t.co/1hf0iO4LXY pic.twitter.com/qZ04fRXb4a
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 18, 2020
India's tally of coronavirus infections exceeds 8.9 million https://t.co/jCtd9BFuu2 pic.twitter.com/crjrgtltPQ
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 18, 2020
South Australia announced a six-day lockdown to contain a fresh coronavirus outbreak which has put the country back on high alert https://t.co/J94L3LYD1y pic.twitter.com/K585bJx7Sw
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 18, 2020
As Africa is poised to surpass 2 million confirmed virus cases as early as Wednesday, it is Kenya’s turn to worry the continent with a second surge in infections well under way. https://t.co/8tZsP7XHQY
— AP Africa (@AP_Africa) November 18, 2020
Mexico reports 1,757 new coronavirus cases https://t.co/gzQvljzC09 pic.twitter.com/Ea29994JXj
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 18, 2020
======
The FDA is allowing emergency use of the first coronavirus test that can be done entirely at home and gives results in 30 minutes.https://t.co/qdYbJk9l3D
— AP Health & Science (@APHealthScience) November 18, 2020
… The announcement by the Food and Drug Administration represents an important step in U.S. efforts to expand testing options for COVID-19 beyond health care facilities and testing sites. However, the test will require a prescription, likely limiting its initial use.
The FDA granted emergency authorization to the single-use test kit from Lucira Health, a California manufacturer.
The company’s test allows users to swab themselves to collect a nasal sample. The sample is then swirled in a vial of laboratory solution that plugs into a portable device. Results are displayed as lights labeled positive or negative…
Sinovac’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine triggered a quick immune response but the level of antibodies produced was lower than in people who had recovered from the disease, preliminary trial results showed https://t.co/AhUNyuRisW pic.twitter.com/mqzZm1PpfX
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 18, 2020
The federal government once set a goal of 300 million vaccine doses by the end of the year. But the tricky nature of manufacturing vaccines means they are nowhere near that goal. https://t.co/Yld3DskdTB
— NYT Science (@NYTScience) November 18, 2020
Russia has developed a coronavirus contact-tracing app which will allow users to see how long and in what proximity they have contacted other users, as well as alert those contacted if the user becomes infectedhttps://t.co/OuZlQ3Decs
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) November 17, 2020
Inside the chaotic, cutthroat gray market for N95 masks https://t.co/KGEmvSwcrS
— delthia ricks ? (@DelthiaRicks) November 17, 2020
Russia will begin to temporarily freeze-dry its coronavirus vaccine due to the difficulty of transporting the liquid vaccine doses at the exact temperatures necessary to retain efficacyhttps://t.co/zeQl4C1ERZ
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) November 17, 2020
======
Context: Nebraska Medicine is one of the best-prepared places in the entire US for a new disease. They have *amazing* people & facilities. They knew the risks. They trained. They had contingencies on top of contingencies.
If someone there is sounding this alarm? It. Is. Bad. https://t.co/bhiOzT7vhM
— Ed Yong (@edyong209) November 17, 2020
Texas county of El Paso becomes worst hit spot in US Covid-19 outbreak https://t.co/gGnXYW30lb
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 17, 2020
This is really disinformation beyond the pale.
The key distinction is that vaccines are a SAFE way to achieve immunity. Getting sick with COVID-19 is inherently unsafe. We would never ever tolerate a vaccine that carried even a fraction of the risks of natural infection. https://t.co/qHbGs34Vyc
— Natalie E. Dean, PhD (@nataliexdean) November 17, 2020
vaccine
vaccine
vaccine
vaccinei’m begging of you please just save my nan https://t.co/4oBa5CzF7P
— emily ash powell ⚡️ (@emilyashpowell) November 17, 2020
raven
What’s the leading cause now????
TS (the original)
Sherrod Brown speaks the truth. Senate Republicans do not care who they put at risk to achieve their end of the GOP right to rule.
Amir Khalid
Malaysia’s daily Covid-19 numbers. After five days of four-digit increases, Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reports just 660 new cases today, for a cumulative reported total of 50,390 cases. Dr Noor Hisham also reports four new deaths for a total of 322 deaths — 0.64% of the cumulative reported total, 0.86% of resolved cases.
12,814 active and contagious cases are currently in hospital; 103 are in ICU, 41 of them on respirators. Meanwhile, 630 patients recovered and were discharged, for a total of 37,254 patients recovered — 73.9% of the cumulative reported total.
Eight new clusters were reported today: Sabaru, Tomher, and Garden in Sabah; Putra-18 in Putrajaya and Selangor; Murni in KL; Seri Pasir in Penang; Besi Demak in Sarawak; and Parit Kassan in Johor.
656 new cases are local infections. Sabah has 387 cases: 177 in older clusters, 85 in Sabaru, Tomher and Garden clusters, 51 close-contact screenings, and 74 other screenings. Selangor has 139 cases: 65 in older clusters, two in Putra-18 cluster, 28 close-contact screenings, and 44 other screenings. Negeri Sembilan has 31 cases: 25 in existing clusters, two close-contact screenings, and four other screenings. KL has 18 cases: five in older clusters, four in Murni cluster, four close-contact screenings, and 16 other screenings.
Penang has 16 cases: 10 in older clusters, four in Seri Pasir cluster, one close-contact screening, and one SARI screening. Perak has 16 cases: 12 in existing clusters, three SARI screenings, and one close-contact screening. Labuan has 13 cases: five in existing clusters, four close-contact screenings, and four other screenings. Kedah has 11 cases, all in existing clusters. Melaka has four cases, all in existing clusters. Sarawak has three cases, all in Besi Demak cluster.
Johor has three cases: two in existing clusters, and one in Parit Kassan cluster. Kelantan has three cases, all in existing clusters. And Putrajaya has one case in Putra-18 cluster.
Pahang and Perlis continue to report no new cases today.
Four new cases are imported, involving two Malaysians and two non-Malaysians. They are arrivals from Turkey (two), India, and Saudi Arabia.
The four deaths today are an 80-year-old woman in Perak with hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and rheumatoid arthritis; a 76-year-old woman in Perak with stroke; a 59-year-old man in Sabah; and a 62-year-old woman in Sabah with stroke.
In other news, His Majesty the Agong has proclaimed a state of emergency in Batu Sapi, Sabah. This is to allow the postponement of a parliamentary by-election, until such time as the pandemic situation allows it, said PM Muhyiddin Yassin in a TV address announcing the state of emergency.
satby
@raven: IIRC heart disease
NeenerNeener
187 new cases in Monroe County, NY yesterday with 7 more people in ICU.
A friend of my father died of COVID back in my hometown; he was 93.
YY_Sima Qian
Yesterday, China reported 1 new domestic confirmed and 1 new asymptomatic cases, both at Tianjin Municipality. Both are room mates of the 1st cold chain logistics worker that tested positive over a week ago, and both have been under quarantine since. Again, it seems regular screening of high risk workers caught infections very early, and prevented a larger cluster.
In Xinjiang “Autonomous “ Region, 7 cases have recovered and 38 asymptomatic cases were released from isolation. There are currently 8 confirmed cases (none in serious condition), all in Kashgar, and 66 asymptomatic cases in Xinjiang (62 in Kashgar and 4 in Kizilsu). Over the past several days, all areas in Xinjiang have been redesigned as Low Risk.
Yesterday, China reported 7 new imported confirmed cases and 4 imported asymptomatic cases:
* Shanghai Municipality – 4 confirmed cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Switzerland, Spain and the UK, and a Filipino crew member off a cargo ship
* Taiyuan in Shanxi Province – 1 confirmed case, no information released
* Shenyang in Liaoning Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Germany
* Guangzhou in Guangdong Province – 1 confirmed case, a Chinese national returning from Mali; 1 asymptomatic case, a Chinese national returning Bangladesh
* Chengdu in Sichuan Province – 3 asymptomatic cases, 1 Chinese national each returning from Cambodia, Myanmar and Egypt
* Tianjin Municipality – 1 confirmed and 1 asymptomatic cases, both Chinese nationals returning from Spain
Yesterday, Hong Kong reported 9 new cases, 6 imported and 3 local (2 have sources infection identified).
NotMax
Have been watching the statistics out of Poland slide deeper and deeper into the abyss all this month.
opiejeanne
WA set another record on Tuesday, with 2589 new cases. The death rate is started to climb: 25 new deaths; we’ve been in single or low teens digits for months.
NotMax
FYI. This needs priority fixing. Stat.
ByRookorbyCrook
2K Deaths a day. Where will we be by Christmas? Where will we be by 2 weeks into the new year? And still, the Trump Death Cult gives a smokescreen of bullshit to assist a virus… Our New President will be inaugurated into a conflagration as this nation has never seen. God bless and pity Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
opiejeanne
@NotMax: It’s hard to watch, but harder not to. I’m looking at Switzerland and worrying about my niece & nephew and their baby.
opiejeanne
The doctors are urging Trump to brief Biden on Covid-19 and I wonder what good that would do. Trump knows and understands very little about the epidemic, and he will just lie his ass off anyway, not answering questions and just admiring his response to the virus. .
OzarkHillbilly
That graphic in the ian bremmer tweet is pretty cool, and absolutely terrifying.
cmorenc
The US response will remain rudderless, disorganized, and fragmented until Jan 20th. Trump doesn’t give a shit, because he is incapable of understanding how properly responding helps him, which is all he is capable of caring about.
TS (the original)
The statistics from South Australia are slightly different today than yesterday. It reads to me that they have tested people they think will be positive but this is not yet confirmed.
SA has gone into top level shutdown, hoping to stop the spread asap. People will be restricted from going outside of their homes – only one person per household will be able to leave the home each day, but only for specific purposes. Professor Spurrier says authorities have acted to shut down the community, because waiting any longer would see South Australians incur similar lockdowns to Victoria. These are some of the rules
From midnight the following facilities will be closed:
All schools, except for those servicing children of essential workers and vulnerable children
Takeaway food
Universities
Pubs, cafes, coffee shops and food courts
Elective surgery, except for urgent operations and cancer treatment
Open inspections and auctions
All outdoor sport or physical activity
Construction industry
Factories other than food and medical products
Sm*t Cl*de
You will notice that the lying shitweasel has chosen to redefine “effectiveness” as “number of infections / treated population”, which is meaningless weaponised innumeracy. By his definition and his numbers, since only 11 million / 328 million Americans have contracted COVID-19, the effectiveness of doing nothing at all = 96.65%.
Aleta
From link above, El Paso:
It’s not volunteering when someone is a prisoner.
Mary G
The OC is back in the purple tier 1, but today’s numbers not that bad – 352 new cases and zero deaths.
raven
@Aleta: Near the end of WW2 when my old man had been on his tin-can for three years they started letting people out of the brig if they’d go serve at sea!!! “They Were Expendable”!
Amir Khalid
@cmorenc:
The Trump administration’s malicious neglect in the face of the pandemic would be ample grounds to remove him from office, if it weren’t for the obstructionist Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell. (Ptui!)
different-church-lady
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T LISTEN TO YOUR PRESIDENT AND DRINK CLOROX GOD BLESS AMERICA!!1!
OzarkHillbilly
@Aleta: Having spent a very small amount of time behind bars I can say that I would jump at the chance of getting outside, no matter how dangerous it might be. Because my sanity would demand it..
Amir Khalid
@Sm*t Cl*de:
I sincerely hope Rand Paul doesn’t spend his non-Senate time practising medicine. I wouldn’t want this fool treating me for anything.
SFAW
@ByRookorbyCrook:
“I could stand in the middle of the Oval Orifice and murder more than 250 people per day across America and I wouldn’t lose voters. Well, except maybe for the ones I kill, but THEY would be LOSERS.”
YY_Sima Qian
@TS (the original): Based on the restrictions you shared yesterday, I was think South Australia will try to keep the outbreak suppressed at low levels a la South Korea. With today’s restrictions, especially with respect to placing limit on each household’s ventures outside, SA seems to have gone straight to the China/Vietnam/New Zealand playbook of eradication as soon as possible, even with the relatively small outbreak so far. I hope that, by going hard early, SA can achieve eradication quickly. While Victoria’s lock down achieved its intended goal, I am surprised that it took 4 months to do so.
YY_Sima Qian
@cmorenc: Not just the Trump, but all of his enablers. That Rand Paul comment…
SFAW
@Amir Khalid:
You’re not wrong, of course.
SFAW
@YY_Sima Qian:
Seconded.
Sab
@opiejeanne: I have a friend who works in US for a Swiss company. She says people at the home office in Switzerland are running around maskless like Americans in the Great Plains states. She watches them in horror on the teleconferences.
satby
I know people who have been much more obsessive than I who have now been exposed or have actually contracted covid. And it’s been via family exposure before anyone was symptomatic.
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: Ever see Tom Horn with Steve McQueen? He’s awaiting his hanging as he looks out at the mountains.
Butter emails
@YY_Sima Qian:
Stupid and evil.
Sab
@Amir Khalid: I believe all he did was lasik eye surgeries. Not exactly an infectious disease specialty.
TS (the original)
@YY_Sima Qian:
I think it was closer to 3 months – started early August – ended early November.
I was surprised by what SA did today. This level was not really expected, but it seems every state does not want to be another Victoria. I doubt the PM is too happy about it. Every state except NSW have closed their borders to people from the capital – Adelaide. The PM has touted NSW as being exceptional in their processes compared to the other states – which simply is not true. They do have a political affiliation which may be why he says this. This comment from the Federal Chief Medical Office indicates the view of the PM
Australia’s Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly says Adelaide does not meet the Commonwealth’s definition of a COVID-19 hotspot despite its growing cluster, but he understands why the decision has been made to go into lockdown.
He has also said this – which is past due & has been agreed by all the states
Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly
He says there will be increased surveillance at quarantine hotels around the country — anyone working at one will be tested at least weekly for the virus.
debbie
@opiejeanne:
Ohio’s been above 7,000 cases for each of the last six days. An ineffective curfew will begin on Thursday. Big whoop.
Meanwhile, I have a plumbing issue in the basement, so for the first time in eight months, I’ll have to let someone come into my apartment. I’ll be shoving a paper mask in his face should he not already be wearing one.
Amir Khalid
@Sab:
This is the post at the top of The Guardian’s liveblog right now.
Sab
@opiejeanne: Isn’t the thing with Trump that if you tell him he must do something then he won’t, and if you tell him he can’t do something then he will.
Anne Laurie
AFAICT, once Trump is dragging into ‘agreeing’ to ‘brief’ Biden, the people in the current administration who are doing the actual work can start sharing info with their incoming co-workers without fear of reprisals.
Like the Emperor of Japan ‘agreeing’, by the end of WWII, that ‘things were not necessarily going in the best direction for the Empire’.
Nobody expects the Oval Office Occupant to do anything useful, but it would be a very good thing for the country if he would stop obstructing.
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: Yeah I have but it’s been a long time, I’m barely remembering it. I guess I need to get it.
Sab
@Mary G: Ohio has the same tier colors as California but the numbers are reversed. Purple is the worst but it is called level 4 instead of tier 1.
Amir Khalid
@Sab:
I wouldn’t trust him to put a Bandaid on a skinned knee, let alone to cut my eyeballs open.
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: To John L Sullivan “You’d have to stand on a stepladder to kiss Geronimo’s ass”!
Geminid
@opiejeanne: Virginia also set its record for new Covid-19 cases yesterday at 2125. We had muddled along at 1000 cases a day in August and September, but the numbers started climbing in October, due in part I think to both colleges and K-12 reopening. I see good masking compliance in stores (except one country store near me where no one is masked), and little political pushback against social distancing measures, although the gripers are still griping. But this virus is so infectious that people have to be careful everywhere and all the time, and many are not.
SFAW
@Sab:
And, if memory serves, he had to create his own certification board in order to get certified. Kinda reassuring when ()presumably) actual professionals will not sign off on his skills. Or lack thereof.
slightly_peeved
@TS (the original):
Professor Spurrier (OUR QUEEN) has said there are about 14 or so cases that haven’t tested positive, but are close contacts and symptomatic so they’re pretty sure they’ve got it.
@YY_Sima Qian:
The official reason is that there’s potential for the outbreak to be managed entirely by testing and contact tracing, given there was no virus in the community prior, but that it’s currently spreading too fast for the tracing to keep up. Hence the relatively short period of very hard restrictions – the goal is to stall the virus spread so the tracers can get stay ahead of it and quarantine the appropriate contacts.
The very fact this strategy can seriously be considered is testament to how effective the Australian response has by and large been.
The funny thing was that in the initial reporting of the lock-down, notably absent from the list of open businesses were bottle shops (liquor stores). They later amended that, but apparently some of the bigger local bottle shops looked like something out of a zombie movie this afternoon.
SFAW
@Sab:
A lot of his moron supporters (yeah, redundant, I know) are the same way. That’s why I and others used to joke that if then-President Obama went on TV and said “Don’t drink antifreeze,” a lot of America’s problems would be solved within a few days.
ETA: Including getting an open Senate seat in WI.
slightly_peeved
@TS (the original):
Part of the selling point for a harsh lockdown now is that it gives a shadow of a chance that we’ll be out of lockdown by Christmas. South Australia is closest to Victoria – by geography, culture and football rivalry – so I believe people are very keen to avoid a similar degree of outbreak.
Sab
@Amir Khalid: That is so scary. Sounds like Iowa or South Dakota.
YY_Sima Qian
While the utter darkness the US is crashing toward is already baked in the cake, I do not understand strategy many/most European nations are employing, as exemplified by the Netherlands. So restrictions that were put in place far too late, in response to the 2nd wave, has started to have the expected impact in causing the daily case counts to peak and trend downward. Instead of staying the course to further suppress the epidemic to even lower levels, heading into the depths of winter and the Christmas holiday season, governments start to relax the distancing measures, when there is still widespread community transmission at a fairly high level?!! All that will do is cause Rt to increase to > 1, and resume exponential growth again. When effective vaccines are only a few months away from being widely available to high risk demographics and high risk occupations?!! Every death from now until then will be a tragedy. It seems that these governments really are only aiming to suppress transmission just enough so as to not overwhelm ICUs. That’s it! To me, that betrays an astounding lack of ambition or imagination. And when case counts start to escalate again in early to mid-Dec., governments need to start impose more restrictions, would they have the cooperation of the population for a 3rd round of lock downs?
During the height of the 1st wave, the motto was to flatten the curve to save the hospitals. However, at that time there was little confidence or data to show that COVID-19, once entrenched in the community, can be suppressed back to very low levels. Since then, the Asia/West Pacific region has demonstrated repeatedly that substantial suppression and eradication is achievable. Europe itself managed to substantially suppress the 1st wave, though none managed even South Korean levels. When they started relaxing the restrictions at the tail of their 1st wave, they did so at lower incident rates, with greater caution, and was at the middle of Spring, heading into Summer.
If the delicate dance to maintain suppression is the strategy, then South Korea is the model here. Honestly, what South Korea has managed through the course of the pandemic, keeping daily domestic case counts in the double to low triple digits, modulating restrictions in response to the data, is far more difficult to pull off than the eradication strategy that most of the rest of the region is following.
One thing is for sure, after this pandemic, people in the Asia Pacific region (elites and average people, and probably Africa, too) will not look at the “West” the same ever again. The Great Financial Crisis already showed the neo-liberal ideology/Washington Consensus promulgated to world over the previous two decades to be bankrupt. The COVID-19 pandemic throws basic competence of western governments into questions. All future sermonizing of liberty, freedom, human rights and value of life will unfortunately ring hollow. The cynical authoritarians will question the desirability liberalism and democracy (as defined by the “West”), and unfortunately many will agree.
KM in NS
Nova Scotia is up to 24 cases as of yesterday and the chief medical officer said we now have community spread. The Premier will put us back in lockdown if the numbers keep rising.
SFAW
@OzarkHillbilly:
“They say that memory is the second thing to go.”
“Yeah? What’s the first?”
“I forget.”
Sloane Ranger
Yesterday’s figures from the UK. There were 20,051 new cases, about 1300 less than the day before. These figures would be those reported late Monday and early Tuesday so they may not be affected by the weekend delays. We’ll have to see what today brings but, fingers (and toes) crossed. Cases by home nation are,
England – 17,549 (down @2000)
Northern Ireland – 549 (up @200)
Scotland – 1248 (up @500)
Wales – 705 (down @200).
The increase in positive tests in the 7 days to 17 November compared to the previous 7 days was 10.7%. This is high, but the rate of increase is coming down.
Deaths – There were 598 new deaths, 518 in England, 9 in Northern Ireland, 37 in Scotland and 34 in Wales.
Testing – No update since Monday.
Hospitalisations – There were 15,830 people in hospital as of Sunday, 15th. 1391 people were on ventilators as of Monday, 16th. Both trending up.
General – Scandal here with a National Audit Office report showing that, in the early days of the pandemic, contracts for PPE provision were awarded to companies with connections to government ministers and senior Tory MP’s and that some of the companies concerned were not ones you would immediately think of as supply sources, including, in one case, a rodent extermination firm. Plus people who supply PPE for a living saying they contacted the government with offers to supply and were ignored. Current government explanation = we panicked.
Geminid
@Amir Khalid: I was a little surprised at Switzerland’s surge, because I also tend to see the country as a special case- prosperous, very well organized. My understanding is that my crappy body repair on the back of my Honda would get me a ticket in Switzerland. But I guess Swiss have a libertarian streak, and some cultural quirks. I read about a September superspreading event in the Canton of Swyz, where hundreds of Swiss gathered outdoors for a yodeling convention.
Raven
Offering the vaccine first to health care personnel and Veterans
Initially, we expect supplies to be limited. Based on these risk factors, VA will offer the vaccine first to high-risk health care personnel (HCP), as they are essential in continuing to care for patients throughout the pandemic. As more vaccines become available, VA will offer the vaccine to high-risk Veterans. VA’s ultimate goal is to offer it to all Veterans and employees who want to be vaccinated.
Steeplejack
@raven:
Heart disease, as Satby said above. About 655,000 deaths in 2018, according to the CDC—about 1,795 a day. If COVID-19 hits 2,000 a day . . .
RSA
@satby:
Yes, heart disease and cancer. Newsweek had a story in April about COVID-19 moving up from number 3 to the top (briefly, I think). So it’s not unexpected that this could happen again.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
Connecticut COVID-19In Connecticut there were 1702 new cases between Monday and Tuesday. The state’s positivity rate is 5.16%. On Tuesday (Nov. 17), New Haven County had the highest number of hospitalizations with 294, followed by Fairfield County with 231 and Hartford County with 173.
Database of US healthcare workers lost to COVID-19
An ongoing piece by the Guardian of the lives/stories of the frontline healthcare providers who have died, so far of COVID-19. They are also gathering age and ethnicity and occupation information. It’s a work in progress.
Brachiator
@Sab:
Maybe it’s because you can’t yodel with a mask on?
/snark
Steeplejack
@YY_Sima Qian:
Interesting—and chilling (last paragraph)—comment.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
Related- Nurses on strike against Trinity Health in Bucks County PA. They unionized this year and the nurses are striking for safer staffing numbers and better pay. Trinity is a Catholic health system.
800 Bucks County PA nurses on strike
“Trinity Health, headquartered in Livonia, Mich., owns more than 90 hospitals across 22 states, including five in the Philadelphia area. The 371-bed St. Mary hospital made an average of $58 million in annual profit in the last three years, according to Trinity Health’s audited financial documents. In 2019, it was the most profitable major acute-care hospital in Southeastern Pennsylvania, after the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, according to an analysis by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council.”
Trinity also spoke out against the nurses for the timing of the strike:
““We are hearing concerns from our community that PASNAP, which has placed patient safety at the center of their platform, would choose this time — when the country and our local community contend with a COVID-19 surge — to exercise their right to strike,” officials said in a statement.”
I guess Trinity would like them to just shut up and take it. Patient safety happens to be part of why they are striking.
YY_Sima Qian
@TS (the original):
Yes, should have been done since the Victoria outbreak. But better late than never.
@slightly_peeved:
Agree. COVID-19 response in Oceana stand in stark contrast to North America and Europe, despite the much greater cultural and political affinity. In pandemic response, Oceana aligns more closely with their regional neighbors. I do not recall Australia and New Zealand being significantly impacted by SARS, H1N1, MERS or Avian Flus.
I initially thought nations exempting liquor (and tobacco) stores from lock downs as signs of misplaced priorities. However, having alcoholics and tobacco addicts suddenly go to abstinence is probably a bad idea in a pandemic.
CliosFanBoy
@Sab: I don’t want him near my eyes with a piece of soft cotton, let alone with a laser!!!!!
Uncle Cosmo
@SFAW: Then there’s the classic –
J R in WV
I read this report every day, because it helps us protect ourselves.
But OMG the ignorance being displayed world-around on a daily basis!!! So depressing.
Yesterday I left the home hollow early on a tax-related emergency. Stopped at the bank for certified checks, then to the main bldg at the statehouse. Was really strange — every time I’ve been to the statehouse it has been full of people, busy, sounds of things being done. This time it was like visiting a closed monument. I saw one person (on my business) and two security guards. Everyone was wearing a mask properly. Silent and dark, empty parking lot.
Then I went to the local shops, everyone was properly masked, even at Kroger’s, which was crowded with pre-Thanksgiving shoppers intent on getting all the traditional fixin’s for a big family dinner, which was a terrible sign that no one will observe the strong signals to avoid gatherings this year. At least everyone was wearing a mask.
I am trying to stock up so as to stay in until into December. We will see some neighbors, old friends, at a safe distance, chat a little with them, stay safe. But I have a terrible feeling about the next 3 months of late fall and early winter.
I hope we don’t run out of reefer trucks for morgues, and backhoes and excavators for safe burials.
PaulB
“Teen who built popular coronavirus tracking website has COVID-19 and calls it ‘pretty terrible’ ” Link.
PaulB
Oh, and Anne? I don’t say this nearly enough but thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you [repeat, ad infinitum] for these updates.
PaulB
“The Pro Bowl will play out on the EA Sports Madden NFL 21 video game after the real-life version of football’s all-star game was canceled.” Link.
Bill Arnold
@TS (the original):
Sounds like exhaled air was shared. I haven’t seen a proper writeup of this. They need to nail this down; transmission-via-fomites of SARS-CoV-2 has not yet been solidly proven yet, and yet surface cleaning is sucking a lot of effort that could be redirected to reducing sharing of unfiltered exhaled air. (Recently exhaled air, technically, though we don’t know the linger time without air changes. (Dilution also reduces exposure to exhalations).)
opiejeanne
@PaulB: Oh no, not Avi!